Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $882 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
43

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

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/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 $882 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Calarasi $882

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,363 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Calarasi $1,363

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,844 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Calarasi $1,844

Cape Town costs about 80% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Calarasi is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$8.90 RON 42.12

36.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$33.15 RON 157

36.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.57 RON 35.83

-22.32%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.07 RON 9.81

20.77%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.78 RON 8.42

-28.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.63 RON 7.70

-39.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.59 RON 7.52

88.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.44 RON 6.79

158.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.45 RON 6.85

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.90 RON 4.24

38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.49 RON 7.06

49.66%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.80 RON 13.26

11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.71 RON 36.46

17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.17 RON 19.71

65.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.28 RON 39.16

12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.07 RON 5.06

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.38 RON 6.55

42.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.22 RON 5.80

36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.45 RON 6.84

49.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.40 RON 1.89

292.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.65 RON 3.06

127.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.43 RON 2.05

202.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.75 RON 3.55

50.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.31 RON 29.87

-42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.11 RON 19.43

49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.98 RON 4.64

40.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.42 RON 6.73

50.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.41 RON 1.92

265.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$12.57 RON 59.5

383.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.66 RON 3.13

-10.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.62 RON 2.93

141.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.09 RON 28.82

-16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.62 RON 7.68

-4.32%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.2K RON 133.6K

28.25%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$24.8K RON 117.5K

25.81%

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

$114 R 1,883

$164 RON 778

-30.47%

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

$28.91 R 476

$6.30 RON 29.82

358.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$6.51 RON 30.81

510.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$46.84 RON 222

4.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$51.8 RON 245

-78.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.23 RON 38.94

11.18%

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

$259 R 4,264

$404 RON 1,913

-35.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,678 RON 26.9K

19.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$71.6 RON 339

-21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$21.03 RON 99.5

54.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$91.2 RON 432

32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$97.0 RON 459

11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$312 RON 1,476

227.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$190 RON 898

277.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$419 RON 1,981

335.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$325 RON 1,539

307.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,206 RON 5,706

98.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$949 RON 4,490

62.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$729 RON 3,449

124.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.85

39.75%

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

$190 21.5% 73.5% $527

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Calarasi

$164 18.6% 26.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Calarasi

$177 20.1% 3.1% $5.7

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 18.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 11.5% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Calarasi

$18 2% 76% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Calarasi

$63 7.2% 6% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $312 in Calarasi. 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 125% 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 $33.00 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $164 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

65,181

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Calarasi 8,730 km ≈ 11 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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $882 in Calarasi – roughly 80% 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 $1,324 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $404 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $882, 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.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $882 in Calarasi 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 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.