Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Resen

For one person, living is cheaper in Resen: $973 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Resen
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Resen Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Resen

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $973 in Resen, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Resen $973

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,475 in Resen, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Resen $1,475

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,977 in Resen, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Resen $1,977

Cape Town costs about 57% more than Resen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Resen is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.54 MKD 520

25.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$34.88 MKD 1,900

23.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.58 MKD 358

-6.53%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.13 MKD 116

11.27%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.87 MKD 102

-32.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.39 MKD 75.5

-32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.71 MKD 148

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.73 MKD 149

35.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.29 MKD 70.5

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.80 MKD 43.83

51.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.78 MKD 97.2

23.60%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.40 MKD 131

29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.84 MKD 427

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.43 MKD 405

-7.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$15.14 MKD 825

-38.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.42 MKD 77.2

28.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.40 MKD 76.1

39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.33 MKD 72.2

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.88 MKD 102

13.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.84 MKD 45.62

88.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.83 MKD 45.46

77.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.64 MKD 34.73

110.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.54 MKD 29.67

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.54 MKD 193

1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.24 MKD 395

-16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.07 MKD 58.2

29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.50 MKD 81.5

45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.75 MKD 40.69

86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$23.34 MKD 1,271

160.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.06 MKD 57.9

-12.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.60 MKD 32.76

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.32 MKD 399

-32.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.56 MKD 85.1

-1.28%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$33.3K MKD 1.8M

6.26%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$26.7K MKD 1.5M

25.04%

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

$117 R 1,929

$155 MKD 8,467

-24.67%

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

$25.71 R 424

$18.90 MKD 1,030

36.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$18.92 MKD 1,031

108.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$21.76 MKD 1,185

137.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$17.58 MKD 958

-35.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.43 MKD 405

19.65%

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

$308 R 5,069

$372 MKD 20.3K

-17.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$5,599 MKD 305.0K

45.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$82.6 MKD 4,499

-30.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.36 MKD 2,035

-15.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$101 MKD 5,523

14.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$112 MKD 6,126

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$269 MKD 14.7K

288.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$199 MKD 10.8K

237.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$494 MKD 26.9K

276.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$301 MKD 16.4K

368.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,502 MKD 81.9K

60.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,172 MKD 63.8K

33.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.23

157.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Resen: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Resen

$199 20.4% 70.3% $471

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Resen

$210 21.6% 5.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Resen

$193 19.9% 6.1% $11

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Resen

$154 15.8% 11.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Resen

$150 15.4% 9.1% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Resen

$30 3.1% 57.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Resen

$37 3.8% 47.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $269 in Resen. 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $35 in Resen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $210 – making Resen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇰 Resen

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

8,700

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 54.48 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.16 MKD (100 MKD = 1.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Resen 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Resen

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 Resen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 57% more than Resen, 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 $1,459 in Resen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Resen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $973 in Resen. That makes Resen about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Resen. 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 $973 in Resen to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Resen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.