Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Pecs

For one person, living is cheaper in Pecs: $1,374 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,374 in Pecs, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Pecs $1,374

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,150 in Pecs, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Pecs $2,150

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,926 in Pecs, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Pecs $2,926

Cape Town costs about 11% more than Pecs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Pecs sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Pecs by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$11.33 Ft 3,673

6.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$61.4 Ft 19.9K

-30.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.03 Ft 2,925

-31.89%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.47 Ft 799

-4.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.30 Ft 420

-2.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.28 Ft 416

-26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.64 Ft 530

80.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.34 Ft 759

57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.19 Ft 387

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.65 Ft 536

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.37 Ft 769

-7.17%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.20 Ft 1,038

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.45 Ft 3,386

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.68 Ft 2,165

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$16.36 Ft 5,303

-43.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.48 Ft 805

-26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.29 Ft 743

-14.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.60 Ft 843

-36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.03 Ft 1,306

-46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.11 Ft 359

42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.36 Ft 440

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.86 Ft 603

-27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.57 Ft 185

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$8.85 Ft 2,867

-59.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.63 Ft 1,499

30.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.31 Ft 424

6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.50 Ft 810

-12.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.56 Ft 507

-10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$23.32 Ft 7,557

160.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.28 Ft 1,065

-71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.64 Ft 532

-45.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$16.44 Ft 5,330

-69.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.85 Ft 599

-16.76%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$27.2K Ft 8.8M

30.11%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$35.0K Ft 11.3M

-4.64%

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

$117 R 1,929

$173 Ft 56.1K

-32.37%

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

$25.71 R 424

$20.89 Ft 6,773

23.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$21.41 Ft 6,939

84.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$51.6 Ft 16.7K

-0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$18.20 Ft 5,901

-37.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.04 Ft 2,929

-1.66%

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

$308 R 5,069

$427 Ft 138.5K

-27.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,817 Ft 2.5M

4.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$99.7 Ft 32.3K

-42.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$51.6 Ft 16.7K

-38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$96.2 Ft 31.2K

20.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$112 Ft 36.3K

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$630 Ft 204.0K

66.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$453 Ft 146.9K

47.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,140 Ft 369.4K

63.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$811 Ft 263.0K

73.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,245 Ft 1.1M

-25.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,539 Ft 823.0K

-38.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,065 Ft 345.2K

53.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

36.13%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pecs: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Pecs

$453 33% 32.3% $216

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Pecs

$262 19.1% 17.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Pecs

$215 15.7% 18.2% $33

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Pecs

$171 12.4% 2% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Pecs

$162 11.8% 17.5% $24

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Pecs

$41 3% 42.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Pecs

$70 5.1% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $630 in Pecs. 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 53% 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 $61 in Pecs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $262 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇺 Pecs

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

140,330

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Pecs 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Pecs

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 Pecs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 11% more than Pecs, 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 $2,061 in Pecs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pecs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $630 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,374 in Pecs. That makes Pecs about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Pecs. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,374 in Pecs to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pecs. 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.