Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,046 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,046 in Nis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Nis $1,046

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,544 in Nis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Nis $1,544

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,042 in Nis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Nis $2,042

Cape Town costs about 46% more than Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Nis is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$8.52 RSD 886

40.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$33.65 RSD 3,503

27.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.48 RSD 987

-35.13%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.99 RSD 207

19.10%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.25 RSD 235

-43.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.77 RSD 184

-46.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.55 RSD 370

-16.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.23 RSD 440

-12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.10 RSD 114

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.74 RSD 77.2

63.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.77 RSD 184

24.29%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.23 RSD 233

39.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.34 RSD 764

18.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.67 RSD 591

21.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.10 RSD 1,156

-16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.05 RSD 110

74.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.70 RSD 177

14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.43 RSD 148

16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.04 RSD 212

4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.80 RSD 83.1

97.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.73 RSD 75.7

101.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.62 RSD 64.3

117.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.57 RSD 59.8

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$4.26 RSD 444

-15.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.87 RSD 611

3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.68 RSD 70.6

104.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.28 RSD 133

70.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.79 RSD 186

-48.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.68 RSD 70.8

32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$8.74 RSD 909

-43.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.90 RSD 197

-18.95%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

17.25%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$23.0K RSD 2.4M

45.35%

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

$117 R 1,929

$162 RSD 16.9K

-27.84%

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

$25.71 R 424

$18.70 RSD 1,946

37.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$23.22 RSD 2,417

69.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$29.75 RSD 3,097

73.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$15.06 RSD 1,568

-24.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$4.65 RSD 484

91.18%

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

$308 R 5,069

$256 RSD 26.6K

20.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$4,842 RSD 504.0K

68.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$89.5 RSD 9,316

-35.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$38.96 RSD 4,055

-18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$99.5 RSD 10.4K

16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$110 RSD 11.5K

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$413 RSD 43.0K

153.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$302 RSD 31.4K

121.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$642 RSD 66.9K

189.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$466 RSD 48.5K

202.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,610 RSD 271.7K

-7.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,863 RSD 193.9K

-15.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$943 RSD 98.2K

72.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.08

114.37%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Nis

$302 28.9% 54.8% $367

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Nis

$180 17.2% 19.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Nis

$204 19.5% 12.1% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Nis

$163 15.6% 6.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Nis

$152 14.6% 10.6% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Nis

$5.2 * 0.5% 92.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Nis

$39 3.7% 43.7% $30

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 $413 in Nis. 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 73% 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 $34 in Nis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $180 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

78,470

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Nis 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Nis

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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 46% more than Nis, 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 $1,569 in Nis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,046 in Nis. That makes Nis about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $256 in Nis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,046 in Nis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Nis – 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 Nis. 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.