Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Cimislia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cimislia: $789 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Cimislia
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Cimislia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Cimislia

🇲🇩 Moldova

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $789 in Cimislia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Cimislia $789

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,125 in Cimislia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Cimislia $1,125

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,461 in Cimislia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Cimislia $1,461

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Cimislia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Cimislia is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$6.69 MDL 119

80.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$22.58 MDL 401

106.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$10.66 MDL 189

-41.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.63 MDL 29.02

53.37%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.10 MDL 19.62

22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.64 MDL 11.40

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.11 MDL 19.67

175.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.18 MDL 38.65

68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.03 MDL 18.38

26.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.40 MDL 7.15

217.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.54 MDL 27.32

40.91%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.07 MDL 36.70

49.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$6.86 MDL 122

30.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$3.95 MDL 70.1

76.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$6.24 MDL 111

54.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$0.54 MDL 9.59

246.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.25 MDL 39.96

-14.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.43 MDL 25.34

23.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.97 MDL 35.06

10.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.58 MDL 10.24

162.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.52 MDL 9.18

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.46 MDL 8.19

186.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.58 MDL 10.28

98.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.31 MDL 58.9

12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$4.49 MDL 79.8

33.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.15 MDL 20.42

16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.00 MDL 35.61

6.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.27 MDL 4.78

474.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$2.81 MDL 49.90

-78.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.26 MDL 4.63

492.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$5.55 MDL 98.6

-9.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.39 MDL 24.68

15.11%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$33.2K MDL 589.1K

6.77%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$24.4K MDL 432.5K

42.28%

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

$119 R 1,955

$226 MDL 4,006

-47.40%

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

$29.42 R 485

$7.71 MDL 137

281.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$11.03 MDL 196

260.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$16.80 MDL 298

202.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.50 MDL 133

19.87%

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

$261 R 4,303

$112 MDL 1,989

133.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$5,295 MDL 94.0K

31.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$45.08 MDL 801

24.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$55.2 MDL 981

119.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$50.8 MDL 903

112.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$225 MDL 3,991

357.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$168 MDL 2,984

328.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$330 MDL 5,854

456.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$280 MDL 4,981

384.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$743 MDL 13.2K

223.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$685 MDL 12.2K

119.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$425 MDL 7,550

287.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

37.13%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cimislia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Cimislia

$168 21.3% 76.7% $552

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Cimislia

$150 19% 33.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Cimislia

$244 30.9% 30% $56

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Cimislia

$122 15.5% 31.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Cimislia

$68 * 8.6% 52.6% $75

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Cimislia

$5.2 * 0.7% 93.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Cimislia

$32 4% 53.7% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $225 in Cimislia. 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 288% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $23.00 in Cimislia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $150 – making Cimislia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇩 Cimislia

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Cape Town Cimislia 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Cimislia

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 Cimislia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Cimislia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,184 in Cimislia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cimislia, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $789 in Cimislia. That's a gap of about 103%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $112 in Cimislia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cimislia, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Cimislia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cimislia costs $789 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cimislia. 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.