Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,232 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
Learn more

Best Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,232

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,232 per month in Best vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Best $2,232
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,105 per month in Best vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Best $3,105
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,978 per month in Best vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Best $3,978
Cape Town $3,306

Best costs about 46% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Cape Town sit above the global median – Best by 65%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.78 €20.29

$12.01 R 197

89.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.4

$42.92 R 703

105.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 €10.84

$6.15 R 101

97.89%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$2.37 R 38.81

49.37%

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

$3.33 €2.97

$1.27 R 20.84

162.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.22

$0.94 R 15.37

164.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.02

$2.96 R 48.48

90.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 €4.49

$3.69 R 60.5

36.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.32 R 21.61

-15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.21 R 19.75

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.20 R 36.05

-2.27%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.74

$3.10 R 50.8

-0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 €9.83

$8.73 R 143

26.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 €10.09

$6.89 R 113

64.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.75 €13.14

$9.26 R 152

59.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.83 R 29.90

9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.95 R 31.94

-16.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.66 R 27.16

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 €4.51

$2.14 R 34.99

136.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.58 R 25.86

-29.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.47 R 24.15

-21.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.35 R 22.05

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$1.14 R 18.75

-37.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 €9.78

$3.58 R 58.6

206.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.05 R 99.2

-6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.39 R 22.82

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.18 R 35.69

21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.40 R 22.88

82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 €64.4

$60.8 R 995

18.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.34

$0.93 R 15.18

423.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 €3.12

$0.90 R 14.75

288.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.6 €59.3

$4.96 R 81.3

1242.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.54 R 25.23

64.94%

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

$26.5K €23.6K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-25.09%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$33.4K R 546.7K

18.79%

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

$189 €169

$117 R 1,918

61.68%

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

$14.83 €13.21

$25.71 R 421

-42.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.23 €34.06

$39.41 R 646

-2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.44 €36.02

$51.6 R 846

-21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.40 €22.63

$11.35 R 186

123.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 €12.25

$8.89 R 146

54.67%

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

$1,261 €1,124

$308 R 5,040

310.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,297 €4,718

$8,141 R 133.4K

-34.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 €46.34

$57.4 R 940

-9.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 €29.38

$31.75 R 520

3.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 €64.5

$116 R 1,900

-37.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 €50.4

$101 R 1,650

-43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,366

$1,047 R 17.1K

46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 €996

$669 R 11.0K

67.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 €1,753

$1,861 R 30.5K

5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 €1,225

$1,407 R 23.1K

-2.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,735 €5,108

$2,410 R 39.5K

137.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,441 €3,956

$1,570 R 25.7K

182.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,105 €3,657

$1,630 R 26.7K

151.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

10.89

-67.49%

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

Last update for Best: 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

Best

$1.1K 50.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 40.1% $449

Eating Out

Best

$323 14.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 46.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 20.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$242 10.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 24.8% $60

Getting Around

Best

$105 4.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 31.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$96 4.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 42.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,534 in Best 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 Best are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Best versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 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

Best Cape Town 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

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

Yes – Best is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,348 per month in Best 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 $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,232 in Best and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 32% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,232 in Best 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, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.