Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,762 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,762 in Besancon.

Cape Town $1,527
Besancon $1,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,545 in Besancon.

Cape Town $2,417
Besancon $2,545

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $3,327 in Besancon.

Cape Town $3,306
Besancon $3,327

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 13% less than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Besancon 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$16.71 €14.88

-28.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$56.3 €50.1

-23.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.25 €10.02

-45.33%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.08 €2.74

-23.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.36 €2.10

-46.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.53 €1.36

-38.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$6.60 €5.88

-55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.61 €5.00

-34.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.30 €1.16

1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.69 €1.50

-28.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.14 €1.91

2.80%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.64 €4.13

-33.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$20.44 €18.20

-57.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$11.01 €9.80

-37.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$18.30 €16.29

-49.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.75 €2.45

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.22 €1.98

-12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.74 €2.44

-39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.45 €2.18

-12.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.45 €2.18

-35.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.45 €2.18

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.39 €1.24

-2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.14 €1.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$14.16 €12.61

-74.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$9.67 €8.61

-37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$4.75 €4.23

-70.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.44 €3.06

-36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.76 €1.56

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$43.94 €39.12

38.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.50 €3.12

-73.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.13 €1.90

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$37.95 €33.79

-86.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.06 €1.84

-25.24%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$34.2K €30.4K

3.49%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-13.42%

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

$117 R 1,929

$224 €199

-47.74%

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

$25.71 R 424

$14.46 €12.87

77.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$34.29 €30.53

14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$26.89 €23.94

91.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$19.69 €17.54

-42.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$11.14 €9.92

-20.20%

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

$308 R 5,069

$334 €298

-8.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,187 €6,399

13.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$96.3 €85.7

-40.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$39.67 €35.32

-19.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$90.8 €80.9

27.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$125 €112

-19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$637 €567

64.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$592 €527

12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$997 €887

86.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$795 €708

77.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,862 €2,548

-15.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,280 €2,030

-31.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,159 €1,922

-24.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.62

200.83%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Besancon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Besancon

$592 33.6% 11.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Besancon

$360 20.4% 61.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Besancon

$273 15.5% 49.7% $91

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Besancon

$264 15% 51.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Besancon

$158 9% 15.1% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 9.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Besancon

$49 2.8% 29.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $637 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $56 in Besancon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $360 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Besancon 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Besancon

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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Cape Town. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $637 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Besancon runs roughly 28% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $308 in Cape Town versus $334 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Town wins on affordability, Besancon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.