Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,762 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
Learn more

Besancon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,762

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,762 in Besancon versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Besancon $1,762
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,545 in Besancon versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Besancon $2,545
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,327 in Besancon versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Besancon $3,327
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Besancon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 30% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.71 €14.88

$12.01 R 198

39.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$42.92 R 707

31.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.02

$6.15 R 101

82.93%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.74

$2.37 R 39.04

29.96%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.27 R 20.96

85.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.94 R 15.46

62.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.88

$2.96 R 48.77

122.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$3.69 R 60.8

52.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 R 21.73

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.21 R 19.87

39.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.20 R 36.26

-2.73%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$3.10 R 51.1

49.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.44 €18.20

$8.73 R 144

134.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 €9.80

$6.89 R 114

59.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.29

$9.26 R 153

97.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.83 R 30.08

50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.95 R 32.12

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.66 R 27.32

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.14 R 35.19

14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.58 R 26.01

55.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.47 R 24.29

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.35 R 22.18

2.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.14 R 18.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.61

$3.58 R 59.0

295.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 €8.61

$6.05 R 99.7

59.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 €4.23

$1.39 R 22.95

241.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.18 R 35.90

57.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.40 R 23.02

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.94 €39.12

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 €3.12

$0.93 R 15.26

276.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.90 R 14.83

136.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.95 €33.79

$4.96 R 81.7

665.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.54 R 25.37

33.77%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-3.37%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

15.50%

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

$224 €199

$117 R 1,929

91.34%

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

$14.46 €12.87

$25.71 R 424

-43.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.29 €30.53

$39.41 R 649

-12.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.89 €23.94

$51.6 R 850

-47.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 €17.54

$11.35 R 187

73.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 €9.92

$8.89 R 146

25.31%

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

$334 €298

$308 R 5,069

8.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,187 €6,399

$8,141 R 134.2K

-11.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 €85.7

$57.4 R 946

67.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.67 €35.32

$31.75 R 523

24.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €80.9

$116 R 1,911

-21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$101 R 1,660

24.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 €567

$1,047 R 17.2K

-39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 €527

$669 R 11.0K

-11.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 €887

$1,861 R 30.7K

-46.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 €708

$1,407 R 23.2K

-43.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,862 €2,548

$2,410 R 39.7K

18.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,280 €2,030

$1,570 R 25.9K

45.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,159 €1,922

$1,630 R 26.9K

32.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

10.89

-66.76%

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

Last update for Besancon: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$592 33.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 13% $77

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$360 20.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 33.2% $91

Eating Out

Besancon

$264 15%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$158 9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 13.1% $21

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 10.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 41.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $637 in Besancon and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Besancon vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Besancon Cape Town 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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

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

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Besancon, 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: $637 in Besancon versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 28% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $334 in Besancon versus $308 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Besancon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.