Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Almere

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,723 in Almere, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town, South Africa
Almere, Netherlands
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Almere
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,723
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Almere

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Almere actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,723 in Almere, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Almere $2,723

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,831 in Almere, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Almere $3,831

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,938 in Almere, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Almere $4,938

Cape Town is about 44% cheaper than Almere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Almere sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Almere by 101%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 198
$21.65 €19.28
-44.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 707
$80.6 €71.7
-46.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 101
$13.53 €12.05
-54.55%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 39.04
$4.40 €3.92
-46.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.96
$3.90 €3.47
-67.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.46
$3.70 €3.30
-74.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.77
$5.56 €4.95
-46.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 60.8
$4.88 €4.35
-24.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.73
$1.37 €1.22
-3.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.87
$2.29 €2.04
-47.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.26
$2.62 €2.34
-16.03%
Eggs
$3.10 R 51.1
$4.89 €4.35
-36.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 144
$13.81 €12.29
-36.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 114
$12.52 €11.15
-44.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 153
$17.28 €15.39
-46.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.08
$2.65 €2.36
-30.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.12
$2.34 €2.08
-16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.32
$2.16 €1.92
-23.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 35.19
$4.41 €3.92
-51.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.01
$1.88 €1.67
-15.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.29
$2.27 €2.02
-35.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.18
$1.24 €1.10
8.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.85
$1.10 €0.98
3.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.0
$14.05 €12.51
-74.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 99.7
$6.99 €6.23
-13.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.95
$1.28 €1.14
8.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 35.90
$2.91 €2.59
-25.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 23.02
$3.19 €2.84
-56.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
$85.4 €76.0
-28.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.26
$4.88 €4.34
-80.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.83
$3.62 €3.22
-75.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 81.7
$66.7 €59.3
-92.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.37
$2.59 €2.30
-40.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 582.8K
$41.4K €36.9K
-14.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 549.9K
$39.3K €35.0K
-15.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,929
$302 €269
-61.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 424
$27.45 €24.44
-6.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 649
$55.1 €49.03
-28.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 850
$32.00 €28.49
61.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 187
$22.91 €20.40
-50.46%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 146
$16.77 €14.93
-46.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,069
$2,768 €2,465
-88.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 134.2K
$7,433 €6,618
9.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 946
$77.3 €68.8
-25.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 523
$39.49 €35.17
-19.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,911
$89.6 €79.8
29.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,660
$103 €92.0
-2.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.2K
$1,379 €1,228
-24.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.0K
$1,342 €1,195
-50.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.7K
$2,281 €2,031
-18.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.2K
$1,943 €1,730
-27.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.7K
$5,840 €5,200
-58.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.9K
$4,303 €3,831
-63.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Almere
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.9K
$3,688 €3,284
-55.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
3.65
198.36%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Almere: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Almere
$1.3K 101% $673
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Almere
$335 50.1% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Almere
$385 111% $203
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Almere
$335 92.3% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Almere
$139 1.3% $1.7
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Almere
$121 68.8% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Almere
$66 5.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,379 in Almere. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Almere are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $81 in Almere. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $335 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇳🇱 Almere
🕒 Local time
07:04 7:04 AM
06:04 6:04 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
222,825
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Almere 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Almere

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
Cape Town vs Almere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cape Town cheaper than Almere?
Yes – Almere is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,084 in Almere. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,379 in Almere.
How do food prices compare in Cape Town and in Almere?
Groceries cost about 50% more in Almere, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Cape Town or in Almere?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $81 in Almere. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Cape Town or in Almere?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,723 in Almere. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Cape Town or Almere more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almere makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Cape Town vs other spots: cost of living compared

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