Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Debrecen

For one person, living is cheaper in Debrecen: $1,446 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $970 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
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Debrecen Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,446 in Debrecen, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Debrecen $1,446

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,282 in Debrecen, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Debrecen $2,282

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,119 in Debrecen, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Debrecen $3,119

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Debrecen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Debrecen sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Debrecen by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$13.63 Ft 4,407

-11.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$48.67 Ft 15.7K

-11.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.95 Ft 3,218

-38.19%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.40 Ft 776

-1.25%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.56 Ft 504

-18.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.05 Ft 340

-10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$1.89 Ft 612

56.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$2.34 Ft 758

57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.25 Ft 405

5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.55 Ft 503

-21.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.42 Ft 784

-9.09%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.56 Ft 1,151

-12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$10.48 Ft 3,388

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$6.65 Ft 2,149

3.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$15.19 Ft 4,910

-39.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.06 Ft 666

-11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.22 Ft 719

-12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.01 Ft 649

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$3.44 Ft 1,111

-37.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.91 Ft 296

73.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.29 Ft 415

13.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.55 Ft 502

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.56 Ft 182

103.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$7.07 Ft 2,286

-49.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$4.20 Ft 1,357

44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.30 Ft 420

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.13 Ft 688

2.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.51 Ft 489

-7.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$27.02 Ft 8,736

124.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$3.17 Ft 1,024

-70.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.68 Ft 542

-46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$20.47 Ft 6,616

-75.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.84 Ft 594

-16.30%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$27.9K Ft 9.0M

26.86%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$34.9K Ft 11.3M

-4.27%

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

$117 R 1,918

$156 Ft 50.3K

-24.83%

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

$25.71 R 421

$26.35 Ft 8,517

-2.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$21.79 Ft 7,045

80.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$55.3 Ft 17.9K

-6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$8.30 Ft 2,684

36.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.50 Ft 3,072

-6.42%

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

$308 R 5,040

$412 Ft 133.1K

-25.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$19.2K Ft 6.2M

-57.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$89.6 Ft 29.0K

-35.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$33.32 Ft 10.8K

-4.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$86.2 Ft 27.9K

34.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$102 Ft 32.9K

-1.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$710 Ft 229.4K

47.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$542 Ft 175.3K

23.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,410 Ft 455.7K

31.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,101 Ft 356.0K

27.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$3,295 Ft 1.1M

-26.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,475 Ft 800.2K

-36.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,210 Ft 391.3K

34.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.9

57.83%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Debrecen: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Debrecen

$542 37.5% 18.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Debrecen

$249 17.2% 11.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Debrecen

$204 14.1% 11.9% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Debrecen

$192 13.3% 10.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Debrecen

$140 9.7% 1.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Debrecen

$45 3.1% 37.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Debrecen

$74 5.1% 7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $710 in Debrecen. 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 35% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $49 in Debrecen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $249 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

201,704

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Debrecen 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Debrecen

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 Debrecen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Debrecen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,169 in Debrecen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Debrecen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $710 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,446 in Debrecen. That makes Debrecen about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Debrecen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,446 in Debrecen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,446 in Debrecen to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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