Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Oradea

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $975 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
Learn more

Oradea Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $975 in Oradea, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Oradea $975

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,443 in Oradea, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Oradea $1,443

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,912 in Oradea, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Oradea $1,912

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Oradea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Oradea is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$8.49 RON 40.15

38.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$42.39 RON 200

9.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$7.49 RON 35.42

-20.43%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.61 RON 12.34

-5.36%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.82 RON 8.61

-26.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.70 RON 8.04

-39.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.15 RON 10.17

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.21 RON 15.21

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.48 RON 7.00

-6.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.02 RON 4.83

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.19 RON 5.64

77.31%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.85 RON 13.46

5.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.25 RON 39.03

8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.23 RON 29.45

6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$9.05 RON 42.80

2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.06 RON 5.03

72.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.48 RON 7.01

28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.45 RON 6.85

20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.40 RON 6.64

49.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.86 RON 4.09

80.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.88 RON 4.17

69.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.70 RON 3.30

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.82 RON 3.89

41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$5.95 RON 28.12

-37.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.69 RON 26.93

6.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.04 RON 4.91

33.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.83 RON 8.68

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.77 RON 3.66

96.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$18.97 RON 89.7

221.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.75 RON 3.56

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.76 RON 3.61

101.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$7.27 RON 34.41

-33.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.78 RON 8.40

-11.24%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$28.6K RON 135.5K

23.94%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$25.1K RON 118.6K

26.61%

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

$116 R 1,920

$137 RON 649

-15.23%

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

$28.37 R 468

$6.32 RON 29.90

348.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$8.08 RON 38.21

403.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$46.21 RON 219

5.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$16.19 RON 76.6

-31.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$7.50 RON 35.46

17.73%

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

$261 R 4,314

$397 RON 1,876

-34.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$9,125 RON 43.2K

-26.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$60.7 RON 287

-8.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$37.01 RON 175

-12.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$54.1 RON 256

117.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$64.2 RON 304

66.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$401 RON 1,895

153.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$310 RON 1,466

130.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$536 RON 2,534

236.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$397 RON 1,876

235.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,969 RON 9,314

18.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,925 RON 9,105

-21.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$895 RON 4,235

82.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.1

54.51%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Oradea: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Oradea

$310 31.4% 56.7% $405

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Oradea

$188 19.1% 15.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Oradea

$152 15.4% 18.2% $34

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Oradea

$153 15.5% 11.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Oradea

$97 9.8% 30.8% $43

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Oradea

$27 2.7% 64.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Oradea

$61 6.2% 8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $401 in Oradea. 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 83% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $42.00 in Oradea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $188 – making Oradea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Oradea

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

196,367

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Oradea 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Oradea

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 Oradea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Oradea, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,462 in Oradea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oradea, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $975 in Oradea. That's a gap of about 61%.

Public transport costs about 221% less in Oradea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oradea, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Oradea 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. Oradea costs $975 versus $1,568 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 Oradea. 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.