Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,703 in Olsztyn, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Olsztyn outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

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

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,703 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Olsztyn $1,703

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,449 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Olsztyn $2,449

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,196 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Olsztyn $3,196

Cape Town is about 10% cheaper than Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$12.63 zł 49.66

-4.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$50.3 zł 198

-14.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$8.70 zł 34.21

-29.31%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$3.29 zł 12.92

-27.96%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.48 zł 9.74

-48.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.85 zł 7.26

-49.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.09 zł 12.14

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.75 zł 14.76

-1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.02 zł 4.02

29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.25 zł 4.92

-3.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.38 zł 5.42

59.42%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.87 zł 15.23

-19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.61 zł 37.81

-9.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.55 zł 29.70

-8.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$14.51 zł 57.1

-36.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.19 zł 4.68

53.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.66 zł 6.51

17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.82 zł 7.14

-8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$3.44 zł 13.53

-37.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.91 zł 3.58

73.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.18 zł 4.64

24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.34 zł 5.28

0.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.72 zł 2.84

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$5.49 zł 21.57

-34.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.81 zł 30.71

-22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.13 zł 4.45

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.56 zł 6.14

39.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.04 zł 4.09

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$25.18 zł 99.0

141.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.98 zł 7.78

-53.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.73 zł 2.87

23.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$10.27 zł 40.39

-51.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.64 zł 6.45

-6.10%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$31.2K zł 122.9K

13.17%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$28.9K zł 113.7K

15.41%

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

$117 R 1,935

$336 zł 1,323

-65.19%

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

$25.71 R 425

$9.64 zł 37.92

166.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$18.98 zł 74.7

107.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$45.06 zł 177

14.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$22.38 zł 88.0

-49.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$8.70 zł 34.23

2.18%

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

$308 R 5,085

$374 zł 1,469

-17.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$14.0K zł 55.1K

-41.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$98.8 zł 388

-41.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$47.62 zł 187

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$99.9 zł 393

16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$104 zł 407

-2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$820 zł 3,223

27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$638 zł 2,510

4.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,308 zł 5,144

42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$1,025 zł 4,030

37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$3,616 zł 14.2K

-33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,519 zł 9,905

-37.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,491 zł 5,862

9.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

7.52

44.81%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Olsztyn

$638 37.5% 4.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Olsztyn

$238 14% 6.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Olsztyn

$365 21.4% 100% $183

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Olsztyn

$207 12.1% 18.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Olsztyn

$157 9.2% 14.4% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Olsztyn

$35 2.1% 51.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Olsztyn

$62 3.7% 10% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $820 in Olsztyn. 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 9% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $50 in Olsztyn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $238 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

174,675

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.226 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.93 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.42 PLN (1 PLN = 0.226 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Olsztyn 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Olsztyn

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 Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olsztyn costs about 11% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,554 in Olsztyn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Olsztyn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $820 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,703 in Olsztyn. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Olsztyn. 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 $1,703 in Olsztyn. 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 $1,703 in Olsztyn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.