Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,922 in Bielefeld, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,922

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,922 per month in Bielefeld vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,922
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,924 per month in Bielefeld vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bielefeld $2,924
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,926 per month in Bielefeld vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,926
Cape Town $3,306

Bielefeld costs about 26% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bielefeld and Cape Town sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 42%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €11.94

$12.01 R 198

11.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.3

$42.92 R 707

57.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.59 €13.88

$6.15 R 101

153.50%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.47

$2.37 R 39.04

64.56%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$1.27 R 20.96

129.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.94 R 15.46

231.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 €4.71

$2.96 R 48.77

78.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 €4.22

$3.69 R 60.8

28.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.32 R 21.73

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.21 R 19.87

71.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$2.20 R 36.26

71.82%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.10 R 51.1

16.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 €12.10

$8.73 R 144

55.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 €9.43

$6.89 R 114

53.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 €17.90

$9.26 R 153

117.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.83 R 30.08

71.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.95 R 32.12

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.66 R 27.32

29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 €4.45

$2.14 R 35.19

133.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.58 R 26.01

-24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.47 R 24.29

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.35 R 22.18

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.14 R 18.85

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.46 €8.42

$3.58 R 59.0

164.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 €5.08

$6.05 R 99.7

-5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.39 R 22.95

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.18 R 35.90

-24.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 €3.10

$1.40 R 23.02

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €56.9

$60.8 R 1,001

5.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.54

$0.93 R 15.26

447.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.71

$0.90 R 14.83

238.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.73 €34.49

$4.96 R 81.7

680.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.54 R 25.37

50.00%

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

$32.5K €29.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-7.98%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$33.4K R 549.9K

13.01%

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

$297 €265

$117 R 1,929

153.84%

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

$30.19 €26.88

$25.71 R 424

17.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 €38.90

$39.41 R 649

10.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.06 €30.33

$51.6 R 850

-34.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.62 €34.39

$11.35 R 187

240.26%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 €12.43

$8.89 R 146

57.03%

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

$815 €726

$308 R 5,069

164.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K €21.5K

$8,141 R 134.2K

196.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.7 €86.9

$57.4 R 946

70.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.66 €35.31

$31.75 R 523

24.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$116 R 1,911

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$101 R 1,660

40.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 €620

$1,047 R 17.2K

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 €556

$669 R 11.0K

-6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 €1,083

$1,861 R 30.7K

-34.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 €1,015

$1,407 R 23.2K

-19.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,572 €4,071

$2,410 R 39.7K

89.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,213 €1,970

$1,570 R 25.9K

40.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,843 €2,531

$1,630 R 26.9K

74.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

10.89

-63.73%

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

Last update for Bielefeld: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$625 32.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 7.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$371 19.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 50.9% $189

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$324 16.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31% $100

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$261 13.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$182 9.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 24.2% $44

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$98 5.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 26.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$62 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 12% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $696 in Bielefeld 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 74% higher in Bielefeld. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Bielefeld versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

1 h ahead of Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

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

Bielefeld Cape Town 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bielefeld
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

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

Yes – Bielefeld is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,883 per month in Bielefeld 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 Bielefeld, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $696 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Bielefeld, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Bielefeld and $43 in Cape Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,922 in Bielefeld 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 $1,922 in Bielefeld. 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, Bielefeld makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.