Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bissen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissen: $1,422 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Bissen
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Bissen Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Bissen

🇱🇺 Luxembourg

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,422 in Bissen, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Bissen $1,422

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,308 in Bissen, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Bissen $2,308

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,194 in Bissen, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Bissen $3,194

Cape Town costs about 7% more than Bissen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Bissen sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Bissen by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$27.67 €24.76

-56.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$99.4 €89.0

-56.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$14.33 €12.82

-57.08%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$4.58 €4.09

-48.25%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.29 €2.05

-44.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$2.28 €2.04

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$7.60 €6.80

-61.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$6.58 €5.89

-43.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.64 €1.47

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.63 €2.35

-53.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.88 €2.58

-23.61%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$4.56 €4.08

-32.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$18.81 €16.83

-53.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$14.46 €12.94

-52.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$25.84 €23.12

-64.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$3.35 €3.00

-45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.33 €2.08

-16.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$3.19 €2.86

-47.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$4.34 €3.89

-50.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$2.48 €2.22

-36.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$2.14 €1.92

-31.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.92 €1.72

-29.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.08 €0.97

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$7.57 €6.78

-52.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$10.98 €9.83

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$2.02 €1.80

-31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$2.60 €2.33

-16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$5.10 €4.56

-81.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$3.81 €3.41

-76.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$56.9 €50.9

-91.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.84 €1.65

-16.30%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$31.1K €27.8K

13.81%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$36.1K €32.3K

-7.56%

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

$117 R 1,935

$295 €264

-60.30%

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

$25.71 R 425

$26.66 €23.86

-3.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$57.5 €51.5

-31.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$16.88 €15.10

-47.33%

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

$308 R 5,085

$1,366 €1,222

-77.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$18.0K €16.1K

-54.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$110 €98.0

-47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$50.9 €45.55

-37.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$112 €100

3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$133 €119

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$3,350 €2,997

-68.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,454 €2,196

-33.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.54

207.63%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bissen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Bissen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Bissen

$414 29.1% 85.3% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Bissen

$379 26.7% 108% $197

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Bissen

$389 27.3% 123% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Bissen

$183 12.9% 32.8% $45

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Bissen

$24 * 1.7% 66.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Bissen

$34 * 2.4% 51.4% $36

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 $3,350 in Bissen. 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 51% higher in Bissen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $99 in Bissen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $414 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇺 Bissen

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bissen 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bissen

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 Bissen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $1,422 in Bissen – Bissen comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,133 in Bissen. 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 $3,350 in Bissen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,422 in Bissen. That makes Bissen about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $1,366 in Bissen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,422 in Bissen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,422 in Bissen to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.