Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Râșnov

For one person, living is cheaper in Râșnov: $922 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Râșnov
Learn more

Râșnov Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Râșnov

🇷🇴 Romania

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $922 in Râșnov, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Râșnov $922

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,437 in Râșnov, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Râșnov $1,437

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,952 in Râșnov, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Râșnov $1,952

Cape Town costs about 73% more than Râșnov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Râșnov is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$9.00 RON 42.58

34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$42.46 RON 201

9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$7.46 RON 35.31

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.20 RON 10.39

13.64%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.51 RON 7.12

-10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$1.24 RON 5.85

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.95 RON 9.20

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.38 RON 11.24

54.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.40 RON 6.64

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.12 RON 5.32

13.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.44 RON 6.82

50.69%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.80 RON 13.23

10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$7.91 RON 37.40

13.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.00 RON 28.38

16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$10.20 RON 48.25

-5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$0.99 RON 4.68

88.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.33 RON 6.29

45.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.38 RON 6.53

28.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.84 RON 8.70

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.76 RON 3.60

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.54 RON 2.56

188.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.88 RON 4.14

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.71 RON 3.34

61.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.04 RON 28.57

-38.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$7.57 RON 35.83

-20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.04 RON 4.90

28.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.60 RON 7.58

33.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.73 RON 3.43

112.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$21.76 RON 103

181.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.66 RON 3.15

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.68 RON 3.21

126.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$6.61 RON 31.27

-24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.88 RON 8.88

-14.89%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$28.8K RON 136.1K

23.12%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$25.5K RON 120.6K

35.98%

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

$119 R 1,955

$98.8 RON 468

20.03%

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

$29.42 R 485

$7.63 RON 36.08

285.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$8.12 RON 38.40

390.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$37.94 RON 180

33.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$20.77 RON 98.3

-47.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$6.45 RON 30.51

39.38%

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

$261 R 4,303

$426 RON 2,015

-38.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$7,026 RON 33.2K

-0.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$52.5 RON 248

6.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$35.29 RON 167

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$74.6 RON 353

62.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$77.0 RON 364

40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$388 RON 1,837

164.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$281 RON 1,328

156.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$593 RON 2,808

209.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$455 RON 2,153

198.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,835 RON 8,680

31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$1,359 RON 6,429

10.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.2

52.36%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Râșnov: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Râșnov

$281 30.4% 61% $439

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Râșnov

$193 21% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Râșnov

$115 12.4% 39% $73

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Râșnov

$146 15.9% 17.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Râșnov

$108 11.7% 24.9% $36

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Râșnov

$29 3.1% 62.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Râșnov

$51 5.5% 26% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $388 in Râșnov. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $42.00 in Râșnov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $193 – making Râșnov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Râșnov

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

16,384

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Râșnov 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Râșnov

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 Râșnov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 73% more than Râșnov, 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,383 in Râșnov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Râșnov, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $922 in Râșnov. That's a gap of about 73%.

Public transport costs about 182% less in Râșnov. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Râșnov, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Râșnov 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. Râșnov costs $922 versus $1,599 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 Râșnov. 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.