Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Békéscsaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Békéscsaba: $1,123 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Békéscsaba
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Békéscsaba Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Békéscsaba

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,123 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Békéscsaba $1,123

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,643 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Békéscsaba $1,643

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,164 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Békéscsaba $2,164

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Békéscsaba is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.29 Ft 3,013

29.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$44.49 Ft 14.4K

-3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.42 Ft 1,756

13.47%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.18 Ft 707

8.72%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.41 Ft 458

-9.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.89 Ft 287

5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.10 Ft 356

169.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$1.20 Ft 390

207.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.17 Ft 380

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.45 Ft 469

-16.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.12 Ft 686

3.77%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.39 Ft 1,099

-8.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.73 Ft 3,154

-10.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.55 Ft 2,123

5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$14.31 Ft 4,637

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.80 Ft 582

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.03 Ft 658

-3.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.55 Ft 503

7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.74 Ft 890

-21.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.93 Ft 300

69.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.99 Ft 320

48.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.10 Ft 356

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.49 Ft 158

132.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$8.03 Ft 2,603

-55.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$2.98 Ft 967

103.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.02 Ft 329

36.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.03 Ft 657

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.20 Ft 388

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.72 Ft 882

-65.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.37 Ft 445

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$6.00 Ft 1,944

-17.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.89 Ft 614

-18.52%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$28.3K Ft 9.2M

25.16%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-1.36%

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

$117 R 1,929

$177 Ft 57.3K

-33.72%

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

$25.71 R 424

$23.59 Ft 7,648

8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$21.19 Ft 6,870

85.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$33.41 Ft 10.8K

54.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$10.13 Ft 3,283

-12.24%

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

$308 R 5,069

$625 Ft 202.5K

-50.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$19.6K Ft 6.3M

-58.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$99.8 Ft 32.4K

-42.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$30.80 Ft 9,983

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$62.5 Ft 20.3K

85.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$119 Ft 38.5K

-15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$416 Ft 134.7K

151.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$335 Ft 108.5K

99.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$563 Ft 182.5K

230.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$435 Ft 141.0K

223.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,566 Ft 507.6K

53.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,179 Ft 382.3K

33.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,368 Ft 443.3K

19.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.34

71.77%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Békéscsaba: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Békéscsaba

$335 29.8% 50% $334

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Békéscsaba

$224 20% 0.5% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Békéscsaba

$221 19.7% 21.5% $39

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Békéscsaba

$134 11.9% 23.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Békéscsaba

$140 12.5% 2% $2.8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Békéscsaba

$14 * 1.3% 80% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Békéscsaba

$54 4.8% 22.7% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $416 in Békéscsaba. 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 19% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $44 in Békéscsaba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $224 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇺 Békéscsaba

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

54,460

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Békéscsaba 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Békéscsaba

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 Békéscsaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,684 in Békéscsaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Békéscsaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,123 in Békéscsaba. That makes Békéscsaba about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $625 in Békéscsaba. 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 $1,123 in Békéscsaba. 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 $1,123 in Békéscsaba to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Békéscsaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.