Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,602 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,602

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Brussels versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Brussels $2,602
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,932 in Brussels versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Brussels $3,932
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Brussels $5,262
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Brussels is roughly 70% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.21

$12.01 R 198

88.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 €79.8

$42.92 R 707

108.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.03 €13.38

$6.15 R 101

144.39%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.09

$2.37 R 39.04

94.09%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$1.27 R 20.96

192.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.79

$0.94 R 15.46

232.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 €5.39

$2.96 R 48.77

104.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.69 R 60.8

47.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.32 R 21.73

1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.21 R 19.87

129.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.20 R 36.26

22.73%

Eggs

$5.30 €4.72

$3.10 R 51.1

70.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.33 €15.43

$8.73 R 144

98.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 €11.83

$6.89 R 114

92.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 €19.67

$9.26 R 153

138.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.83 R 30.08

64.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.95 R 32.12

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.66 R 27.32

67.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.79

$2.14 R 35.19

98.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.58 R 26.01

56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.47 R 24.29

51.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.35 R 22.18

36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.14 R 18.85

13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.17 €11.73

$3.58 R 59.0

267.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 €8.92

$6.05 R 99.7

65.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.39 R 22.95

89.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.18 R 35.90

36.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.40 R 23.02

94.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 €55.8

$60.8 R 1,001

3.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 €2.58

$0.93 R 15.26

211.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 €2.33

$0.90 R 14.83

190.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 €36.03

$4.96 R 81.7

715.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.54 R 25.37

40.91%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

1.91%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$33.4K R 549.9K

6.96%

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

$296 €264

$117 R 1,929

152.99%

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

$20.97 €18.67

$25.71 R 424

-18.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 €46.49

$39.41 R 649

32.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.81 €29.21

$51.6 R 850

-36.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.86 €24.81

$11.35 R 187

145.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.07 €14.31

$8.89 R 146

80.76%

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

$1,623 €1,445

$308 R 5,069

427.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K €27.6K

$8,141 R 134.2K

280.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.2

$57.4 R 946

84.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.71 €41.59

$31.75 R 523

47.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$116 R 1,911

-1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$101 R 1,660

45.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,210

$1,047 R 17.2K

29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,022

$669 R 11.0K

71.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,561 €2,280

$1,861 R 30.7K

37.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,816

$1,407 R 23.2K

44.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,047 €4,494

$2,410 R 39.7K

109.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,701 €3,295

$1,570 R 25.9K

135.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,373 €3,003

$1,630 R 26.9K

106.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

10.89

-65.93%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.1K 44.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 41.7% $479

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$394 15.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 43.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$369 14.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 50.7% $187

Eating Out

Brussels

$350 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 50.3% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$186 7.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 26% $48

Getting Around

Brussels

$90 3.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 19.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$65 2.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 6.8% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,359 in Brussels and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Brussels vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 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

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Between locations

Brussels Cape Town 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

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

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Brussels. 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 in Brussels is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,359 in Brussels versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $43 versus $90 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.