Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Gdansk

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,723 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdansk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
Learn more

Gdansk Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,723 in Gdansk, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Gdansk $1,723

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,520 in Gdansk, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Gdansk $2,520

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,318 in Gdansk, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Gdansk $3,318

Cape Town is about 11% cheaper than Gdansk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Gdansk sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Gdansk by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$11.55 zł 45.27

3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$57.5 zł 225

-25.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.00 zł 35.26

-31.67%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.03 zł 15.81

-41.19%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.21 zł 8.68

-42.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.64 zł 6.42

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.89 zł 15.23

-23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.76 zł 14.75

-1.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.02 zł 3.98

29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.32 zł 5.18

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.63 zł 6.39

34.97%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.89 zł 15.27

-20.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.35 zł 32.74

4.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.68 zł 26.19

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$13.54 zł 53.1

-31.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.23 zł 4.83

48.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.71 zł 6.72

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.05 zł 8.04

-19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.05 zł 11.95

-29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.85 zł 3.34

85.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.10 zł 4.31

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.36 zł 5.33

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.69 zł 2.70

65.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.87 zł 23.02

-39.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.63 zł 26.01

-8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.22 zł 4.77

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.84 zł 7.22

18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.20 zł 4.70

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$29.59 zł 116

105.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.34 zł 9.16

-60.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.02 zł 4.01

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.44 zł 48.77

-60.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.69 zł 6.63

-8.88%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.9K zł 121.3K

14.29%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.1K zł 110.0K

18.97%

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

$117 R 1,929

$294 zł 1,151

-60.14%

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

$25.71 R 424

$11.58 zł 45.39

122.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$20.66 zł 81.0

90.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$44.94 zł 176

14.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$29.10 zł 114

-61.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.76 zł 30.42

14.56%

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

$308 R 5,069

$517 zł 2,028

-40.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$9,275 zł 36.4K

-12.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$88.9 zł 348

-35.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$46.78 zł 183

-32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$90.9 zł 356

27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$102 zł 401

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$934 zł 3,660

12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$710 zł 2,785

-5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,606 zł 6,296

15.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,176 zł 4,611

19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$5,387 zł 21.1K

-55.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,109 zł 12.2K

-49.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,974 zł 7,737

-17.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.72

62.05%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gdansk: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Gdansk

$710 41.2% 6.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Gdansk

$226 13.1% 1.2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Gdansk

$326 18.9% 78.9% $144

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Gdansk

$210 12.2% 20.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Gdansk

$148 8.6% 7.6% $10

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Gdansk

$42 2.4% 41.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Gdansk

$60 3.5% 12.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $934 in Gdansk. 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 21% higher in Gdansk. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $57 in Gdansk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $226 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

470,633

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Gdansk 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Gdansk

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 Gdansk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gdansk costs about 13% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,584 in Gdansk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gdansk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $934 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,723 in Gdansk. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $517 in Gdansk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,723 in Gdansk. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,723 in Gdansk. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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