Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bielefeld

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,922 in Bielefeld, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,922 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Bielefeld $1,922

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,924 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Bielefeld $2,924

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,926 in Bielefeld, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Bielefeld $3,926

Cape Town is about 21% cheaper than Bielefeld, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Bielefeld sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Bielefeld by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$13.41 €11.94

-10.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$67.7 €60.3

-36.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$15.59 €13.89

-60.55%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$3.90 €3.47

-39.23%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.91 €2.59

-56.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$3.12 €2.78

-69.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$5.29 €4.71

-44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$4.74 €4.22

-22.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.23 €1.10

7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$2.07 €1.85

-41.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.78 €3.37

-41.80%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.60 €3.20

-13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$13.59 €12.11

-35.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$10.59 €9.43

-34.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$20.10 €17.91

-53.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.13 €2.79

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.12 €1.89

-8.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.15 €1.91

-22.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$5.00 €4.45

-57.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.19 €1.06

32.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.33 €1.19

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.65 €1.47

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.02 €0.91

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$9.46 €8.42

-62.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.70 €5.08

6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.05 €0.94

32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.65 €1.47

32.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$3.48 €3.10

-59.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$63.9 €56.9

-4.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$5.09 €4.54

-81.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$3.05 €2.71

-70.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$38.73 €34.50

-87.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.31 €2.06

-33.33%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$32.5K €29.0K

8.67%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$37.7K €33.6K

-11.51%

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

$117 R 1,918

$297 €265

-60.61%

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

$25.71 R 421

$30.19 €26.89

-14.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$43.68 €38.91

-9.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$34.06 €30.34

51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$38.62 €34.41

-70.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$13.96 €12.43

-36.32%

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

$308 R 5,040

$815 €726

-62.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$24.1K €21.5K

-66.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$97.7 €87.0

-41.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$39.66 €35.33

-19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$125 €111

-6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$141 €126

-28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$696 €620

50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$625 €557

7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,216 €1,083

53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,140 €1,015

23.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$4,572 €4,073

-47.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,213 €1,971

-29.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$2,843 €2,532

-42.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.95

175.70%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bielefeld: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Bielefeld

$625 32.5% 6.6% $44

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Bielefeld

$324 16.8% 45% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Bielefeld

$371 19.3% 104% $189

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Bielefeld

$261 13.6% 49.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Bielefeld

$182 9.4% 31.9% $44

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Bielefeld

$98 5.1% 36.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Bielefeld

$62 3.2% 10.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $696 in Bielefeld. 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 74% higher in Bielefeld. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $68 in Bielefeld. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $324 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

328,012

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Bielefeld 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bielefeld

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 Bielefeld: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bielefeld is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,883 in Bielefeld. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bielefeld, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $696 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Bielefeld, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $68 in Bielefeld. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,922 in Bielefeld. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,922 in Bielefeld. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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