Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Gdynia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,718 in Gdynia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdynia 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 Gdynia
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Gdynia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Gdynia

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,718 in Gdynia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Gdynia $1,718

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,755 in Gdynia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Gdynia $2,755

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,792 in Gdynia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Gdynia $3,792

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$10.33 zł 40.48

16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$49.90 zł 196

-13.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.39 zł 36.83

-34.50%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.25 zł 16.67

-44.24%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.67 zł 10.47

-52.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.00 zł 7.85

-53.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.73 zł 14.61

-20.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.84 zł 15.07

-3.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.98 zł 3.83

34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.35 zł 5.29

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.82 zł 7.15

20.88%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.72 zł 14.57

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.56 zł 49.23

-30.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.72 zł 30.28

-10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$13.65 zł 53.5

-32.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.29 zł 5.06

41.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.84 zł 7.23

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.89 zł 7.43

-12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.99 zł 11.70

-28.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.16 zł 4.53

36.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.17 zł 4.59

25.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.65 zł 6.47

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.61 zł 2.39

86.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.77 zł 22.63

-37.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.07 zł 31.65

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.09 zł 4.26

27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.53 zł 5.99

42.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.19 zł 4.67

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$33.02 zł 129

83.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.25 zł 8.82

-58.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.99 zł 3.86

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.81 zł 50.2

-61.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.66 zł 6.50

-7.23%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.1K zł 118.1K

17.43%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.3K zł 110.9K

17.93%

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

$117 R 1,929

$293 zł 1,150

-60.09%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.32 zł 40.47

149.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$18.72 zł 73.4

110.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$40.29 zł 158

28.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$30.70 zł 120

-63.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.60 zł 33.73

3.37%

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

$308 R 5,069

$382 zł 1,496

-19.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,909 zł 31.0K

2.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$91.0 zł 357

-36.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$40.58 zł 159

-21.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$102 zł 402

13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$104 zł 407

-2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$903 zł 3,541

15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$687 zł 2,694

-2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,719 zł 6,738

8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,646 zł 6,452

-14.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,034 zł 15.8K

-40.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,574 zł 10.1K

-39.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,888 zł 7,402

-13.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.6

65.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gdynia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Gdynia

$687 40% 2.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Gdynia

$247 14.4% 10.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Gdynia

$322 18.8% 77% $140

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Gdynia

$207 12% 18.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Gdynia

$152 8.9% 10.5% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Gdynia

$45 2.6% 37.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Gdynia

$58 3.4% 17.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $903 in Gdynia. 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 16% higher in Gdynia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $50 in Gdynia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $247 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Gdynia

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

257,000

💱 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 Gdynia 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Gdynia

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 Gdynia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gdynia costs about 12% 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 $2,577 in Gdynia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gdynia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $903 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,718 in Gdynia. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Gdynia. 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 $1,718 in Gdynia. 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 $1,718 in Gdynia. 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, Gdynia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.