Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Amstelveen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,043 in Amstelveen, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Amstelveen
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Amstelveen Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Amstelveen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Amstelveen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,043 in Amstelveen, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Amstelveen $3,043

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $4,278 in Amstelveen, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Amstelveen $4,278

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $5,513 in Amstelveen, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Amstelveen $5,513

Cape Town is about 50% cheaper than Amstelveen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Amstelveen sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Amstelveen by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$24.86 €22.13

-51.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$84.2 €75.0

-49.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.39 €11.93

-54.07%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.89 €3.47

-39.07%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.84 €3.42

-66.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$3.14 €2.80

-70.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$5.57 €4.96

-46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.72 €5.09

-35.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.16 €1.04

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.61 €1.43

-24.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.52 €3.13

-37.50%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.80 €4.27

-35.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.72 €11.32

-31.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$14.18 €12.62

-51.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$16.52 €14.71

-43.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.95 €1.74

-6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.41 €2.14

-19.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.81 €1.61

-8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$5.98 €5.33

-64.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.03 €1.80

-22.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.85 €1.65

-20.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.24 €1.11

8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.74 €0.66

54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$13.90 €12.37

-74.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.58 €5.86

-8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.43 €1.27

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.74 €2.44

-20.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.71 €3.30

-62.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$73.7 €65.6

-17.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$4.07 €3.62

-77.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$3.04 €2.71

-70.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$29.48 €26.25

-83.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.41 €2.15

-36.10%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$41.2K €36.7K

-14.15%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$39.9K €35.6K

-16.44%

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

$117 R 1,929

$282 €251

-58.52%

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

$25.71 R 424

$23.88 €21.26

7.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$51.3 €45.69

-23.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$31.22 €27.80

65.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$56.4 €50.2

-79.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$19.80 €17.63

-55.10%

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

$308 R 5,069

$2,291 €2,040

-86.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$26.8K €23.8K

-69.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$33.38 €29.72

71.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$44.70 €39.80

-28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$87.9 €78.3

31.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$102 €90.9

-1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$2,231 €1,987

-53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,703 €1,516

-60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$3,227 €2,873

-42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,521 €2,245

-44.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$8,046 €7,164

-70.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$5,967 €5,313

-73.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$4,747 €4,227

-65.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.3

153.26%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Amstelveen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Amstelveen

$1.7K 56% 154% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Amstelveen

$330 10.9% 48% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Amstelveen

$357 11.8% 96.2% $175

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Amstelveen

$353 11.6% 103% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Amstelveen

$121 4% 12.3% $17

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Amstelveen

$108 3.5% 50.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Amstelveen

$71 2.3% 2.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $2,231 in Amstelveen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Amstelveen are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $84 in Amstelveen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $330 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇱 Amstelveen

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

91,675

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Amstelveen 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Amstelveen

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 Amstelveen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amstelveen is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,564 in Amstelveen. 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 $2,231 in Amstelveen.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $2,291 in Amstelveen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,043 in Amstelveen. 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, Amstelveen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.