Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $358 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇲🇩 Moldova

$358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $358 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Calarasi $358

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $585 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Calarasi $585

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $811 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Calarasi $811

Cape Town costs about 343% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Calarasi is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.15 MDL 198

8.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$22.51 MDL 400

101.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.93 MDL 123

-15.15%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.42 MDL 25.19

76.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.75 MDL 13.24

69.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.47 MDL 8.31

108.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.09 MDL 19.42

174.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.42 MDL 25.22

161.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.99 MDL 17.59

31.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.36 MDL 6.31

247.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.93 MDL 34.20

61.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.94 MDL 34.42

1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.63 MDL 11.18

149.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.52 MDL 9.20

117.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.10 MDL 19.54

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.68 MDL 29.75

-7.74%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.5K MDL 364.8K

52.11%

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

$114 R 1,883

$58.4 MDL 1,038

95.62%

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

$28.91 R 476

$6.57 MDL 117

340.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$10.12 MDL 180

292.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.41 MDL 60.5

168.33%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$33.26 MDL 591

68.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$32.87 MDL 584

-1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$108 MDL 1,922

11.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$33.44 MDL 594

223.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Calarasi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Calarasi

$41 * 11.4% 81.8% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Calarasi

$75 21% 58.9% $108

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Calarasi

$140 39.2% 20.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Calarasi

$94 26.2% 34.5% $49

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Calarasi

$1.1 * 0.3% 98.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Calarasi

$6.8 * 1.9% 89.9% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $23.00 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $41.00 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇩 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

16,100

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Calarasi 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 343%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $536 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 450% more in Cape Town, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town and $23.00 in Calarasi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $358, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Calarasi. 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.