Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,592 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,592

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amsterdam 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 Amsterdam and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,592 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,592
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $5,063 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,063
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $6,533 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,533
Cape Town $3,306

Amsterdam costs about 135% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amsterdam and Cape Town sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 166%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.72 €20.23

$12.01 R 198

89.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 €79.9

$42.92 R 707

109.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.38 €12.81

$6.15 R 101

133.82%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.14

$2.37 R 39.04

96.20%

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

$3.88 €3.46

$1.27 R 20.96

205.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.65

$0.94 R 15.46

215.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 €6.84

$2.96 R 48.77

159.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$3.69 R 60.8

84.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.32 R 21.73

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.21 R 19.87

95.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.20 R 36.26

13.64%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.80

$3.10 R 51.1

73.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.70 €14.87

$8.73 R 144

91.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.48

$6.89 R 114

87.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.63 €21.04

$9.26 R 153

155.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.83 R 30.08

50.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$1.95 R 32.12

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.66 R 27.32

66.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$2.14 R 35.19

81.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.58 R 26.01

53.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.47 R 24.29

16.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.35 R 22.18

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.14 R 18.85

47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.38 €12.80

$3.58 R 59.0

301.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 €7.58

$6.05 R 99.7

40.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.39 R 22.95

24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.18 R 35.90

20.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.71 €3.31

$1.40 R 23.02

165.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 €105

$60.8 R 1,001

94.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 €4.19

$0.93 R 15.26

406.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.90 R 14.83

282.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 €53.0

$4.96 R 81.7

1100.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.54 R 25.37

72.73%

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

$41.4K €36.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

16.95%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$33.4K R 549.9K

15.76%

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

$298 €265

$117 R 1,929

154.45%

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

$23.21 €20.67

$25.71 R 424

-9.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.14

$39.41 R 649

34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 €47.53

$51.6 R 850

3.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.92 €31.98

$11.35 R 187

216.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.10

$8.89 R 146

90.78%

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

$2,797 €2,491

$308 R 5,069

809.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K €20.5K

$8,141 R 134.2K

183.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.6

$57.4 R 946

63.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.27 €37.64

$31.75 R 523

33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.5

$116 R 1,911

-15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$101 R 1,660

31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,384

$1,047 R 17.2K

155.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,065 €1,839

$669 R 11.0K

208.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,084 €3,637

$1,861 R 30.7K

119.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,160 €2,813

$1,407 R 23.2K

124.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K €9,304

$2,410 R 39.7K

333.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,719 €5,982

$1,570 R 25.9K

328.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,789 €4,264

$1,630 R 26.9K

193.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.89

-69.70%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: 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

Amsterdam

$2.1K 57.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 67.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$385 10.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 42% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$374 10.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 51.3% $192

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$360 10%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 51.7% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$165 4.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 16.7% $28

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$155 4.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 53.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$87 2.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 20.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,678 in Amsterdam versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Amsterdam are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Amsterdam versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

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 = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amsterdam Cape Town 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

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

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,388 per month in Amsterdam and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $2,678 in Amsterdam.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,797 per month in Amsterdam and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,592 in Amsterdam and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.