Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,060 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,060 in Onesti, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Onesti $1,060

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,597 in Onesti, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Onesti $1,597

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,135 in Onesti, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Onesti $2,135

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Onesti is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.61 RON 50.2

14.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.76 RON 202

6.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.14 RON 33.78

-17.65%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.89 RON 13.67

-13.49%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.20 RON 10.41

-42.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.77 RON 8.36

-44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.21 RON 15.19

-6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.71 RON 17.56

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.04 RON 4.92

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.36 RON 6.46

-8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.06 RON 9.73

8.25%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.98 RON 14.10

4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.23 RON 34.19

25.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.50 RON 30.74

6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.94 RON 47.03

-6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.03 RON 4.89

78.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.45 RON 6.86

35.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.59 RON 7.55

5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.08 RON 9.85

4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.84 RON 3.99

86.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.89 RON 4.22

66.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.16 RON 5.51

12.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.61 RON 2.90

85.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.40 RON 30.29

-43.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.22 RON 24.69

17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.37 RON 6.48

0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.03 RON 9.60

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.77 RON 3.64

94.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$21.59 RON 102

181.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.87 RON 4.12

-32.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.80 RON 3.79

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$8.20 RON 38.79

-37.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.44 RON 6.82

7.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$29.2K RON 137.9K

24.21%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$27.8K RON 131.4K

12.48%

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

$114 R 1,883

$184 RON 870

-37.85%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.27 RON 34.40

297.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$8.67 RON 41.02

358.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$37.79 RON 179

29.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.49 RON 96.9

-46.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.58 RON 40.59

6.64%

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

$259 R 4,264

$420 RON 1,987

-38.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,932 RON 32.8K

-2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$38.31 RON 181

46.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$39.59 RON 187

-18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$91.9 RON 435

31.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$89.9 RON 425

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$377 RON 1,784

170.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$282 RON 1,333

154.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$587 RON 2,778

210.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$445 RON 2,106

198.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,876 RON 8,875

27.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,367 RON 6,466

12.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$618 RON 2,925

165.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.18

52.79%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Onesti: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Onesti

$282 26.6% 60.7% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Onesti

$197 18.5% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Onesti

$200 18.9% 9.2% $17

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Onesti

$180 17% 2.4% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Onesti

$117 11% 18.2% $26

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Onesti

$30 2.8% 60.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Onesti

$55 5.2% 18.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $377 in Onesti. 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 165% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $43.00 in Onesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $197 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

57,333

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Onesti 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,590 in Onesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,060 in Onesti. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 181% less in Onesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Onesti, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Onesti 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. Onesti costs $1,060 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Onesti. 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.