Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Giurgiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,112 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,112 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Giurgiu $1,112

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,678 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Giurgiu $1,678

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,245 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Giurgiu $2,245

Cape Town costs about 43% more than Giurgiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Giurgiu is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.83 RON 51.3

12.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$52.0 RON 246

-12.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.21 RON 34.10

-18.45%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.57 RON 16.89

-29.97%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.44 RON 11.56

-47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$2.14 RON 10.15

-54.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.19 RON 15.10

-6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.32 RON 15.70

12.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.52 RON 7.18

-14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.35 RON 6.40

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.68 RON 7.96

32.74%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.58 RON 16.96

-13.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.67 RON 41.01

4.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.89 RON 32.62

0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.35 RON 58.4

-24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.52 RON 7.21

21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.51 RON 7.14

29.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.63 RON 7.70

2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.62 RON 12.41

-17.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.77 RON 3.64

103.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.85 RON 4.04

74.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.90 RON 4.28

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.80 RON 3.77

41.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.11 RON 28.93

-41.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.44 RON 35.21

-17.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.19 RON 5.63

15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.87 RON 8.84

14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.75 RON 3.53

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$21.57 RON 102

181.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.63 RON 2.98

-6.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.66 RON 3.13

127.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.41 RON 30.32

-20.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.84 RON 8.69

-15.76%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.6K RON 135.4K

26.53%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$26.2K RON 124.1K

19.17%

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

$114 R 1,883

$175 RON 830

-34.82%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.72 RON 36.55

274.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$9.19 RON 43.48

332.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.75 RON 155

49.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$23.12 RON 109

-52.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.51 RON 45.00

-3.79%

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

$259 R 4,264

$441 RON 2,086

-41.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,982 RON 33.0K

-2.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$52.4 RON 248

7.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$35.40 RON 167

-8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$75.1 RON 355

60.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$88.9 RON 421

21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$329 RON 1,557

210.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$309 RON 1,460

132.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$528 RON 2,500

245.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$436 RON 2,064

204.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,004 RON 9,484

19.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,180 RON 5,585

30.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$894 RON 4,230

83.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.2

52.36%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Giurgiu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Giurgiu

$309 27.8% 57% $408

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Giurgiu

$225 20.3% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Giurgiu

$192 17.3% 5.1% $9.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Giurgiu

$192 17.3% 9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Giurgiu

$113 10.2% 20.6% $29

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Giurgiu

$28 2.6% 61.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Giurgiu

$52 4.7% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $329 in Giurgiu. 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 83% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $52.0 in Giurgiu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

61,353

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Cape Town Giurgiu 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Giurgiu

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 Giurgiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 43% more than Giurgiu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,668 in Giurgiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giurgiu, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,112 in Giurgiu. That's a gap of about 43%.

Public transport costs about 182% less in Giurgiu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Giurgiu, where all-in costs run around $1,112, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Giurgiu 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. Giurgiu costs $1,112 versus $1,586 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 Giurgiu. 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.