Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $862 in Deva, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Deva $862

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,338 in Deva, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Deva $1,338

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,814 in Deva, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Deva $1,814

Cape Town costs about 85% more than Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Deva is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$6.81 RON 32.20

77.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$21.08 RON 99.7

121.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$7.28 RON 34.46

-14.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.71 RON 8.10

46.20%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.09 RON 9.89

-35.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$1.20 RON 5.68

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.29 RON 6.13

137.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.09 RON 9.90

75.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.56 RON 7.39

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.27 RON 6.03

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.10 RON 5.21

97.27%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$3.18 RON 15.03

-2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$7.80 RON 36.91

15.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$5.29 RON 25.05

32.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$8.12 RON 38.42

19.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.37 RON 6.49

36.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.38 RON 6.52

39.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.53 RON 7.23

15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.12 RON 10.05

2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.71 RON 3.37

114.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.96 RON 4.54

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.85 RON 4.04

55.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.86 RON 4.05

33.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.34 RON 25.26

-30.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$7.39 RON 34.98

-18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.07 RON 5.06

25.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.75 RON 8.28

21.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.57 RON 2.67

171.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$32.18 RON 152

90.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.79 RON 3.74

-24.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.66 RON 3.12

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$8.58 RON 40.59

-41.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.62 RON 7.68

-1.23%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$28.8K RON 136.1K

23.12%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$24.7K RON 116.8K

40.34%

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

$119 R 1,955

$133 RON 631

-11.11%

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

$29.42 R 485

$8.71 RON 41.23

237.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$9.54 RON 45.15

317.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$39.18 RON 185

29.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$53.0 RON 251

-79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$6.28 RON 29.70

43.15%

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

$261 R 4,303

$577 RON 2,731

-54.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$9,789 RON 46.3K

-28.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$69.0 RON 326

-18.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$44.86 RON 212

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$84.9 RON 402

42.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$74.1 RON 351

45.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$237 RON 1,122

333.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$184 RON 871

291.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$400 RON 1,892

358.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$353 RON 1,672

284.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$4,841 RON 22.9K

-50.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$3,476 RON 16.4K

-56.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,154 RON 5,458

42.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.65

64.96%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Deva

$184 21.3% 74.4% $536

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Deva

$193 22.4% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Deva

$152 17.6% 19.2% $36

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Deva

$121 14% 31.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Deva

$123 14.2% 14.4% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Deva

$39 4.5% 49.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Deva

$52 6% 24.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $237 in Deva. 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 43% 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 $21.00 in Deva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $193 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

61,123

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Deva 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Deva

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 Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 85% more than Deva, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,294 in Deva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Deva, 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 $862 in Deva. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Deva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Deva 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. Deva costs $862 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 Deva. 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.