Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kyiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $1,005 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,005 in Kyiv, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Kyiv $1,005

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,556 in Kyiv, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Kyiv $1,556

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,107 in Kyiv, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Kyiv $2,107

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Kyiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Kyiv is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$11.04 ₴495

6.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$33.92 ₴1,522

37.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$7.59 ₴340

-21.48%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$1.72 ₴77.2

43.60%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$0.84 ₴37.58

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.60 ₴26.73

71.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$1.32 ₴59.0

128.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$1.97 ₴88.4

85.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.36 ₴60.9

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$0.90 ₴40.34

32.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.46 ₴65.4

44.52%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$1.97 ₴88.2

52.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$10.39 ₴466

-13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.41 ₴243

22.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$8.90 ₴399

4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$1.19 ₴53.3

53.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.55 ₴69.4

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$1.86 ₴83.6

-5.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$2.74 ₴123

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$0.60 ₴27.07

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$0.49 ₴22.07

204.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.38 ₴62.1

-5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.60 ₴27.05

93.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$3.41 ₴153

8.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$5.51 ₴247

9.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$0.95 ₴42.62

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$1.36 ₴61.1

61.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$0.57 ₴25.50

164.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$11.05 ₴496

451.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$2.25 ₴101

-72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$0.43 ₴19.26

255.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$4.38 ₴196

9.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.72 ₴77.3

-8.14%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$28.8K ₴1.3M

23.12%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$25.8K ₴1.2M

23.01%

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

$116 R 1,930

$99.5 ₴4,464

16.96%

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

$28.37 R 471

$7.19 ₴323

294.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$6.47 ₴290

528.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$36.23 ₴1,625

34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$18.79 ₴843

-40.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.65 ₴253

56.28%

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

$261 R 4,336

$411 ₴18.4K

-36.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$14.9K ₴667.4K

-54.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$74.0 ₴3,321

-25.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$39.09 ₴1,754

-17.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$97.1 ₴4,354

21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$120 ₴5,369

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$626 ₴28.1K

62.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$342 ₴15.4K

109.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$1,253 ₴56.2K

43.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$616 ₴27.6K

116.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$2,637 ₴118.3K

-11.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$1,132 ₴50.8K

33.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$831 ₴37.3K

96.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

17.88

-38.65%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Kyiv

$342 33.9% 52.2% $373

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Kyiv

$192 19% 13.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Kyiv

$113 11.2% 39% $72

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Kyiv

$148 14.7% 14.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Kyiv

$148 14.7% 5.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Kyiv

$18 1.8% 76.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kyiv

$48 4.7% 28.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $626 in Kyiv. 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 97% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $34.00 in Kyiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $192 – making Kyiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,908,249 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.86 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.32 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Kyiv 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kyiv

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 Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Kyiv, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,508 in Kyiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyiv, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,005 in Kyiv. That's a gap of about 56%.

Public transport costs about 452% less in Kyiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kyiv, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kyiv 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. Kyiv costs $1,005 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kyiv. 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.