Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,009 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
Learn more

Calafat Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,009 in Calafat, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Calafat $1,009

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,485 in Calafat, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Calafat $1,485

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,961 in Calafat, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Calafat $1,961

Cape Town costs about 57% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$7.28 RON 34.45

66.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$38.41 RON 182

18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.46 RON 35.29

-21.18%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.05 RON 9.69

21.95%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.50 RON 7.08

-15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.80 RON 3.80

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.02 RON 4.84

193.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.95 RON 9.21

90.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.19 RON 5.65

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.82 RON 3.89

52.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.34 RON 6.35

66.42%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.37 RON 11.20

31.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$6.91 RON 32.68

31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.19 RON 29.29

11.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$6.14 RON 29.03

51.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.98 RON 4.62

87.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.50 RON 7.10

30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.24 RON 5.89

34.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.50 RON 7.10

44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.62 RON 2.92

153.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.72 RON 3.39

105.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.74 RON 3.51

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.77 RON 3.64

46.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.28 RON 25.00

-31.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.37 RON 30.13

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.80 RON 3.79

72.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.47 RON 6.95

45.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.76 RON 3.57

97.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$21.28 RON 101

185.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.54 RON 2.56

9.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.52 RON 2.46

188.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.20 RON 29.34

-17.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.43 RON 6.78

8.39%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.9K RON 122.7K

39.60%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$26.7K RON 126.1K

17.21%

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

$114 R 1,883

$217 RON 1,029

-47.44%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.32 RON 34.61

294.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$6.42 RON 30.39

518.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$37.74 RON 179

29.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$19.94 RON 94.4

-44.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.33 RON 34.70

24.83%

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

$259 R 4,264

$419 RON 1,983

-38.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,102 RON 38.3K

-16.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$61.9 RON 293

-9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$42.75 RON 202

-24.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$82.0 RON 388

47.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$84.7 RON 401

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$382 RON 1,808

167.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$286 RON 1,354

150.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$597 RON 2,827

205.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$445 RON 2,106

198.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,861 RON 8,807

28.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,356 RON 6,414

13.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$810 RON 3,833

102.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

82.83%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calafat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Calafat

$286 28.3% 60.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Calafat

$167 16.5% 25.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Calafat

$231 22.9% 26.4% $48

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Calafat

$123 12.2% 29.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Calafat

$122 12.1% 14.5% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Calafat

$27 2.7% 63.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Calafat

$52 5.2% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $382 in Calafat. 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 102% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $167 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

01:43 1:43 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

18,500

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Calafat 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $1,009 in Calafat – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,514 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,009 in Calafat. That's a gap of about 57%.

Public transport costs about 185% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calafat, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Calafat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,009 in Calafat to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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