Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Koło

For one person, living is cheaper in Koło: $1,457 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. The total is higher in Cape Town despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Koło
Learn more

Koło Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Koło

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,457 in Koło, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Koło $1,457

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,076 in Koło, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Koło $2,076

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,694 in Koło, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Koło $2,694

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Koło, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cape Town and Koło sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Koło by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.60 zł 37.64

25.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$41.48 zł 163

3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.09 zł 35.63

-32.34%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.35 zł 13.13

-29.25%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.10 zł 8.23

-39.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.63 zł 6.39

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.55 zł 13.91

-16.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.86 zł 15.15

-4.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.00 zł 3.93

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.22 zł 4.78

-0.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.32 zł 5.18

66.67%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.25 zł 12.73

-4.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.44 zł 33.10

3.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.27 zł 24.57

9.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.87 zł 46.52

-21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.11 zł 4.34

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.63 zł 6.40

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.63 zł 6.40

1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.75 zł 10.79

-22.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.89 zł 3.50

77.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.00 zł 3.91

47.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.30 zł 5.09

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.65 zł 2.53

75.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.11 zł 20.02

-29.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.75 zł 26.47

-10.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.08 zł 4.24

28.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.54 zł 6.04

41.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.10 zł 4.30

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$29.24 zł 115

107.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.08 zł 8.16

-55.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.74 zł 2.91

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$10.11 zł 39.62

-50.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.60 zł 6.26

-3.75%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.2K zł 118.5K

17.01%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.1K zł 110.1K

18.80%

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

$117 R 1,929

$288 zł 1,129

-59.35%

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

$25.71 R 424

$8.64 zł 33.86

197.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$16.84 zł 66.0

134.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$37.46 zł 147

37.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$21.72 zł 85.2

-47.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.49 zł 29.36

18.69%

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

$308 R 5,069

$369 zł 1,447

-16.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,891 zł 30.9K

3.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$80.4 zł 315

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.74 zł 148

-15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$86.5 zł 339

34.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$98.6 zł 386

2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$597 zł 2,341

75.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$523 zł 2,050

27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$981 zł 3,844

89.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$800 zł 3,137

75.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,941 zł 11.5K

-18.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,212 zł 8,671

-29.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.74

61.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Koło: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Koło

$523 35.9% 21.9% $146

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Koło

$208 14.3% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Koło

$313 21.5% 72.1% $131

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Koło

$185 12.7% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Koło

$136 9.4% 0.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Koło

$39 2.7% 45.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Koło

$52 3.6% 24.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $597 in Koło. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $41 in Koło. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $208 – making Koło the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Koło

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

21,035

💱 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 Koło 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Koło

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 Koło: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Koło, 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 $2,186 in Koło. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koło, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $597 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,457 in Koło. That makes Koło about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Koło. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,457 in Koło, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,457 in Koło to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Koło is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 5% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.