Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kalisz

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalisz: $1,131 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kalisz
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Kalisz Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Kalisz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,131 in Kalisz, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Kalisz $1,131

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,590 in Kalisz, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Kalisz $1,590

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,049 in Kalisz, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Kalisz $2,049

Cape Town costs about 35% more than Kalisz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Kalisz is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$8.61 zł 33.76

39.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$30.08 zł 118

42.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.93 zł 38.91

-38.07%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.10 zł 12.15

-23.55%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.07 zł 8.11

-38.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.61 zł 6.33

-41.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.09 zł 12.11

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.59 zł 10.17

42.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.98 zł 3.86

34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.20 zł 4.72

0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.60 zł 6.27

37.50%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.96 zł 11.61

4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.68 zł 30.09

13.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.44 zł 17.41

55.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.20 zł 36.08

0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.06 zł 4.16

72.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.59 zł 6.25

22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.51 zł 5.91

9.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.09 zł 12.11

-30.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.78 zł 3.06

102.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.98 zł 3.85

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.28 zł 5.04

5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.52 zł 2.05

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$4.44 zł 17.40

-19.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.82 zł 26.72

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.92 zł 3.59

51.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.37 zł 5.36

59.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.03 zł 4.04

35.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$34.52 zł 135

75.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.05 zł 8.03

-54.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.03 zł 4.06

-12.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$6.30 zł 24.71

-21.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.64 zł 6.41

-6.10%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.9K zł 121.2K

14.36%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$26.5K zł 103.7K

26.17%

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

$117 R 1,929

$184 zł 722

-36.42%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.28 zł 40.30

150.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$17.45 zł 68.4

125.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$32.17 zł 126

60.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.19 zł 24.27

43.62%

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

$308 R 5,069

$240 zł 941

28.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$5,054 zł 19.8K

61.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$84.5 zł 331

-32.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$24.98 zł 97.9

27.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$79.6 zł 312

45.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$88.7 zł 348

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$450 zł 1,765

132.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$346 zł 1,358

93.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$540 zł 2,116

244.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$446 zł 1,747

215.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,972 zł 7,729

22.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,467 zł 5,751

6.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,168 zł 4,579

39.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.21

75.36%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kalisz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Kalisz

$346 30.6% 48.2% $323

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Kalisz

$186 16.4% 16.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Kalisz

$212 18.7% 16.3% $30

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Kalisz

$171 15.1% 1.6% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Kalisz

$125 11.1% 9.2% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Kalisz

$46 4.1% 36.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Kalisz

$45 3.9% 35.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $450 in Kalisz. 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 40% 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 $30 in Kalisz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $186 – making Kalisz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Kalisz

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

103,997

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Kalisz 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kalisz

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 Kalisz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 35% more than Kalisz, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,696 in Kalisz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalisz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,131 in Kalisz. That makes Kalisz about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Kalisz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kalisz, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Kalisz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kalisz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kalisz. 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.