Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Melun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,707 in Melun, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Melun despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,707 in Melun, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Melun $1,707

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,531 in Melun, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Melun $2,531

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,355 in Melun, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Melun $3,355

Cape Town is about 11% cheaper than Melun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Melun sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Melun by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$12.69 €11.30

-5.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$52.9 €47.06

-18.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.31 €11.85

-53.79%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.01 €2.68

-21.26%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.63 €1.45

-22.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.71 €1.52

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$7.39 €6.58

-59.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.53 €4.93

-33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.31 €1.17

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.97 €1.76

-38.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.84 €2.53

-22.54%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.04 €3.60

-23.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$21.57 €19.21

-59.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.93 €11.51

-46.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$22.87 €20.37

-59.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.46 €3.08

-47.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.13 €1.90

-8.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.30 €2.05

-27.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.14 €2.79

-31.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.83 €1.63

-13.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.98 €1.76

-25.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.68 €1.49

-19.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.68 €0.61

67.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$14.11 €12.56

-74.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.55 €7.62

-29.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.38 €2.12

-41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.29 €3.82

-49.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$2.00 €1.78

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$48.96 €43.59

24.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.23 €1.99

-58.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.06 €1.83

-56.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$23.86 €21.25

-79.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.22 €1.97

-30.63%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$35.1K €31.3K

0.72%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$37.8K €33.6K

-11.68%

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

$117 R 1,929

$200 €178

-41.49%

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

$25.71 R 424

$15.26 €13.59

68.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$27.49 €24.48

43.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$35.42 €31.54

45.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.87 €8.79

-9.93%

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

$308 R 5,069

$631 €562

-51.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$8,102 €7,214

0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$85.5 €76.2

-32.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$40.18 €35.77

-20.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$100 €89.4

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$103 €91.4

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$751 €669

39.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$577 €514

15.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,152 €1,026

61.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$898 €800

56.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,127 €3,675

-41.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,168 €2,821

-50.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,411 €2,147

-32.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.92

177.81%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Melun: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Melun

$577 33.8% 13.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Melun

$375 22% 68.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Melun

$243 14.2% 33.3% $61

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Melun

$239 14% 37.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Melun

$148 8.7% 7.5% $10

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Melun

$69 4.1% 3.2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Melun

$55 3.2% 20.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $751 in Melun. 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 48% higher in Melun. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $53 in Melun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $375 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Melun

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

42,367

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Melun 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Melun

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 Melun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melun costs about 12% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,560 in Melun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Melun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $751 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,707 in Melun. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Melun. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,707 in Melun. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,707 in Melun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.