Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Belfort

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,885 in Belfort, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Belfort
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Belfort Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Belfort

🇫🇷 France

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,885 in Belfort, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Belfort $1,885

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,891 in Belfort, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Belfort $2,891

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,897 in Belfort, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Belfort $3,897

Cape Town is about 17% cheaper than Belfort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Belfort sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Belfort by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$16.97 €15.24

-28.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$67.7 €60.8

-34.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.63 €12.24

-54.88%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$4.13 €3.71

-42.86%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$2.64 €2.37

-52.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$1.74 €1.56

-42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$7.77 €6.98

-60.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$5.69 €5.11

-34.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$0.78 €0.70

71.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.15 €1.03

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$1.64 €1.48

28.05%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$4.80 €4.31

-36.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$22.87 €20.54

-61.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$12.54 €11.27

-44.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$23.64 €21.24

-60.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$2.41 €2.16

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$2.45 €2.20

-23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$3.53 €3.17

-52.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$3.15 €2.83

-35.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.51 €2.26

-37.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$2.29 €2.06

-35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.36 €1.22

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$0.89 €0.80

33.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$13.38 €12.02

-72.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$7.96 €7.15

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.32 €1.18

5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.09 €0.98

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.95 €1.75

-29.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$48.91 €43.94

25.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$7.96 €7.15

-92.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$2.22 €2.00

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$42.13 €37.84

-88.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.30 €2.07

-31.30%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$35.2K €31.6K

-1.30%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$37.2K €33.5K

-8.45%

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

$117 R 1,948

$264 €237

-55.78%

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

$28.35 R 472

$14.10 €12.67

101.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$29.22 €26.25

38.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$22.71 €20.40

113.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$15.38 €13.82

-40.77%

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

$302 R 5,032

$622 €559

-51.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$11.7K €10.5K

-42.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$108 €97.3

-49.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$43.58 €39.15

-24.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$125 €112

-5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$124 €112

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$765 €687

36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$617 €554

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,433 €1,287

38.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,134 €1,018

22.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$4,137 €3,717

-41.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$3,029 €2,721

-48.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$2,098 €1,885

-24.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.68

198.10%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Belfort: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Belfort

$617 32.7% 10.8% $74

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Belfort

$357 18.9% 59.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Belfort

$308 16.3% 65.6% $122

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Belfort

$294 15.6% 67.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Belfort

$180 9.6% 29.5% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Belfort

$76 4% 1.4% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Belfort

$53 2.8% 19.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $765 in Belfort. 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 33% higher in Belfort. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $68 in Belfort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $357 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Belfort

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

45,155

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Belfort 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Belfort

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 Belfort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belfort costs about 21% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,827 in Belfort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belfort, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $765 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Belfort, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town and $68 in Belfort. 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 $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,885 in Belfort. 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 $1,556 in Cape Town to $1,885 in Belfort. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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