Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlon and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,071 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,071

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Arlon vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arlon $2,071
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,140 per month in Arlon vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arlon $3,140
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in Arlon vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arlon $4,209
Cape Town $3,306

Arlon costs about 36% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arlon and Cape Town sit above the global median – Arlon by 53%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.71

$12.01 R 197

46.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 €77.6

$42.92 R 703

102.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.09

$6.15 R 101

84.23%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.91

$2.37 R 38.81

37.55%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$1.27 R 20.84

131.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$0.94 R 15.37

174.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.96 R 48.48

6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$3.69 R 60.5

22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.32 R 21.61

-6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.21 R 19.75

32.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.20 R 36.05

6.82%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.24

$3.10 R 50.8

17.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 €13.04

$8.73 R 143

67.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 €10.56

$6.89 R 113

71.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 €13.49

$9.26 R 152

63.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.83 R 29.90

69.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 R 31.94

-41.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.66 R 27.16

38.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.14 R 34.99

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.58 R 25.86

3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.47 R 24.15

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.35 R 22.05

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.14 R 18.75

-7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 €8.07

$3.58 R 58.6

153.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.01 €7.14

$6.05 R 99.2

32.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.39 R 22.82

47.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.18 R 35.69

-47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.40 R 22.88

58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.84 €37.27

$60.8 R 995

-31.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.41

$0.93 R 15.18

311.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 €2.39

$0.90 R 14.75

197.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.56 €14.75

$4.96 R 81.3

233.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.54 R 25.23

28.57%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$35.4K R 579.4K

2.23%

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

$36.3K €32.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

8.86%

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

$270 €240

$117 R 1,918

130.27%

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

$25.56 €22.77

$25.71 R 421

-0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.01

$39.41 R 646

33.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.95 €22.22

$11.35 R 186

119.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.79

$8.89 R 146

-1.69%

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

$854 €761

$308 R 5,040

177.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.8

$57.4 R 940

46.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.48 €44.08

$31.75 R 520

55.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.7 €45.20

$116 R 1,900

-56.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.7

$101 R 1,650

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €799

$1,047 R 17.1K

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 €837

$669 R 11.0K

40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 €1,488

$1,861 R 30.5K

-10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 €1,483

$1,407 R 23.1K

18.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,167 €3,712

$2,410 R 39.5K

72.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,993 €3,557

$1,570 R 25.7K

154.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,901 €2,584

$1,630 R 26.7K

77.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

10.89

-66.48%

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

Last update for Arlon: 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

Arlon

$939 45.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 28.8% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlon

$348 16.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 47.6% $166

Groceries & Markets

Arlon

$305 14.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 26.7% $81

Eating Out

Arlon

$261 12.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Arlon

$133 6.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 3.6% $4.8

Getting Around

Arlon

$68 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 5.6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arlon

$17 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 297% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $897 in Arlon 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 run about 78% higher in Arlon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Arlon versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Arlon

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

1 h ahead of Arlon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,759

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arlon Cape Town 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlon
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

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

Arlon costs about 36% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Arlon 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 Arlon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $897 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,071 in Arlon and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Arlon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,071 in Arlon and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,071 in Arlon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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