Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Maglaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $888 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $888 in Maglaj, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Maglaj $888

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,378 in Maglaj, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Maglaj $1,378

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,868 in Maglaj, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Maglaj $1,868

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Maglaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Maglaj is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$6.96 BAM 12.12

72.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$36.88 BAM 64.3

16.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.79 BAM 11.83

-9.43%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.71 BAM 2.97

38.60%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.91 BAM 3.32

-33.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.20 BAM 2.08

-21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.25 BAM 3.92

31.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.32 BAM 4.03

59.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.47 BAM 2.56

-10.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.99 BAM 1.72

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.76 BAM 3.07

25.00%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.71 BAM 4.72

14.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.54 BAM 13.14

15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.92 BAM 12.06

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.52 BAM 16.59

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.12 BAM 1.94

63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.60 BAM 2.78

21.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.70 BAM 2.96

-2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.68 BAM 2.93

27.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.17 BAM 2.03

35.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.12 BAM 1.95

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.99 BAM 1.72

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.83 BAM 1.44

37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.37 BAM 5.88

6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.95 BAM 12.11

-12.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.12 BAM 1.96

24.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.16 BAM 2.02

87.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.17 BAM 2.04

19.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.74 BAM 3.02

-46.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-19.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$10.48 BAM 18.26

-52.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.58 BAM 2.76

-2.53%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$29.6K BAM 51.5K

19.56%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$21.0K BAM 36.6K

59.02%

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

$117 R 1,929

$90.3 BAM 157

29.67%

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

$25.71 R 424

$18.77 BAM 32.70

36.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$28.72 BAM 50.0

37.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$33.89 BAM 59.0

52.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$13.04 BAM 22.71

-12.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$4.49 BAM 7.81

98.00%

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

$308 R 5,069

$138 BAM 241

122.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$18.5K BAM 32.2K

-55.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$72.2 BAM 126

-20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$32.15 BAM 56.0

-1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$95.1 BAM 166

22.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$131 BAM 228

-23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$319 BAM 555

228.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$222 BAM 387

201.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$507 BAM 883

267.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$360 BAM 627

291.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,340 BAM 4,076

3.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,607 BAM 2,801

-2.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$740 BAM 1,290

120.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.3

153.26%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maglaj: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Maglaj

$222 25% 66.8% $447

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Maglaj

$200 22.5% 10.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Maglaj

$138 15.5% 24.4% $44

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Maglaj

$125 14.1% 28.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Maglaj

$149 16.7% 8% $11

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Maglaj

$12 * 1.4% 83.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Maglaj

$43 4.8% 38.2% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $319 in Maglaj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $37 in Maglaj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $200 – making Maglaj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Maglaj 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Maglaj

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 Maglaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Maglaj, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,332 in Maglaj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maglaj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $888 in Maglaj. That makes Maglaj about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $138 in Maglaj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maglaj, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Maglaj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maglaj – 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 Maglaj. 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.