Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,986 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,986

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aarschot and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aarschot and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,986 in Aarschot versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Aarschot $1,986
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,881 in Aarschot versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Aarschot $2,881
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,776 in Aarschot versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Aarschot $3,776
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Aarschot is roughly 30% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aarschot 47% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.82 €15.86

$12.01 R 198

48.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.4

$42.92 R 707

81.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 €11.00

$6.15 R 101

100.81%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.22

$2.37 R 39.04

52.74%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.27 R 20.96

135.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$0.94 R 15.46

178.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.01

$2.96 R 48.77

89.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$3.69 R 60.8

19.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.32 R 21.73

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.21 R 19.87

126.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.20 R 36.26

-8.64%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.21

$3.10 R 51.1

16.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 €10.46

$8.73 R 144

34.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 €10.40

$6.89 R 114

69.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 €13.25

$9.26 R 153

60.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.83 R 30.08

51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.95 R 32.12

12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.66 R 27.32

30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.14 R 35.19

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.58 R 26.01

40.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 R 24.29

18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.35 R 22.18

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.14 R 18.85

-22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 €7.93

$3.58 R 59.0

148.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.23 €6.44

$6.05 R 99.7

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.39 R 22.95

48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.18 R 35.90

-13.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.40 R 23.02

118.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 €48.02

$60.8 R 1,001

-11.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$0.93 R 15.26

449.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.90 R 14.83

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.95

$4.96 R 81.7

238.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.54 R 25.37

28.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K €31.2K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.1K €33.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

11.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$208 €185

$117 R 1,929

77.27%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.08 €16.10

$25.71 R 424

-29.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 €46.48

$39.41 R 649

32.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.77 €32.74

$51.6 R 850

-28.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.45 €17.31

$11.35 R 187

71.37%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 €12.73

$8.89 R 146

60.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$692 €616

$308 R 5,069

124.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.5K

$8,141 R 134.2K

99.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 €75.3

$57.4 R 946

47.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.10 €23.24

$31.75 R 523

-17.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 €77.8

$116 R 1,911

-24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$101 R 1,660

29.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €836

$1,047 R 17.2K

-10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €737

$669 R 11.0K

23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,236

$1,861 R 30.7K

-25.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,039

$1,407 R 23.2K

-17.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,221 €3,759

$2,410 R 39.7K

75.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,899 €2,582

$1,570 R 25.9K

84.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 €2,752

$1,630 R 26.9K

89.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

10.89

-67.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aarschot: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aarschot

$828 41.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 19.2% $159

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$302 15.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 26.1% $79

Eating Out

Aarschot

$282 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 38.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$278 14%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 34.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$148 7.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 6.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Aarschot

$83 4.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 13.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 6.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $939 in Aarschot and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Aarschot vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h ahead of Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aarschot Cape Town 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aarschot
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aarschot vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Aarschot, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $939 in Aarschot versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $43 versus $78 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Town wins on affordability, Aarschot on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.