Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $840 in Roman, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Roman $840

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,946 in Roman, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Roman $1,946

Cape Town costs about 89% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.42 RON 49.30

16.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$33.99 RON 161

33.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.31 RON 34.59

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.43 RON 11.49

2.88%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.38 RON 6.54

-7.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.06 RON 5.03

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.05 RON 9.69

45.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.17 RON 10.29

71.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.19 RON 5.61

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.66 RON 3.10

89.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.43 RON 6.75

55.94%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.89 RON 13.65

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.55 RON 35.72

20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.72 RON 27.05

20.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.63 RON 40.85

7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.07 RON 5.05

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.51 RON 7.15

29.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.42 RON 6.71

17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.75 RON 8.30

24.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.72 RON 3.39

118.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.88 RON 4.16

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.88 RON 4.17

47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.72 RON 3.41

56.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.62 RON 26.58

-35.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.34 RON 25.25

15.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.97 RON 4.59

42.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.19 RON 5.61

79.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.76 RON 3.62

97.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$21.67 RON 103

180.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.66 RON 3.13

-10.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.64 RON 3.04

134.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.04 RON 33.30

-27.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.74 RON 8.22

-10.92%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

28.70%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$25.1K RON 118.6K

24.64%

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

$114 R 1,883

$146 RON 691

-21.69%

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

$28.91 R 476

$6.96 RON 32.93

315.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$7.80 RON 36.88

409.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$37.11 RON 176

32.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.05 RON 94.9

-45.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.42 RON 30.40

42.52%

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

$259 R 4,264

$295 RON 1,397

-12.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,901 RON 23.2K

38.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$96.3 RON 456

-41.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$25.51 RON 121

27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$61.4 RON 290

96.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$58.0 RON 274

86.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$213 RON 1,008

379.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$157 RON 745

355.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$605 RON 2,863

201.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$454 RON 2,146

192.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,862 RON 8,812

28.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,356 RON 6,413

13.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$820 RON 3,880

99.84%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Roman

$157 18.7% 78% $560

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Roman

$176 20.9% 21.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Roman

$161 19.1% 12.1% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Roman

$159 18.9% 9.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Roman

$109 12.9% 24% $34

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Roman

$29 3.4% 61.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Roman

$50 6% 25.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $213 in Roman. 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 100% 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 $34.00 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

12:12 12:12 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

80,328

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Roman 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 89% more than Roman, 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 $1,259 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roman, 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 $840 in Roman. That's a gap of about 89%.

Public transport costs about 180% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Roman 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. Roman costs $840 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Roman. 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.