Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rostov-on-Don

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,137 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
Learn more

Rostov-on-Don Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Rostov-on-Don

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 Rostov-on-Don actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Rostov-on-Don $1,137

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,585 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Rostov-on-Don $1,585

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,032 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Rostov-on-Don $2,032

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Rostov-on-Don, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Rostov-on-Don is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.91 ₽911

11.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$24.73 ₽2,064

83.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.66 ₽472

3.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.83 ₽236

-11.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.10 ₽91.9

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.48 ₽39.90

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.16 ₽97.0

157.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.90 ₽242

28.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.08 ₽90.1

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.72 ₽60.0

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.26 ₽105

76.98%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.41 ₽117

120.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.38 ₽783

-3.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.08 ₽424

36.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.03 ₽670

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.41 ₽117

30.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.79 ₽149

9.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.42 ₽119

17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.27 ₽190

-4.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.67 ₽56.0

134.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.59 ₽49.05

150.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.03 ₽86.2

26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.65 ₽54.6

73.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.70 ₽226

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.10 ₽509

0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.87 ₽72.7

58.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.97 ₽165

8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.53 ₽44.36

183.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$14.26 ₽1,190

326.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.59 ₽300

-83.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.14 ₽11.52

971.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.91 ₽327

30.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.82 ₽68.4

89.02%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.8K ₽2.4M

25.94%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.3K ₽2.6M

-0.22%

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

$114 R 1,883

$124 ₽10.3K

-7.62%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.20 ₽601

301.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$8.59 ₽717

362.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$33.15 ₽2,767

47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.83 ₽1,739

-47.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.38 ₽449

70.07%

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

$259 R 4,264

$363 ₽30.3K

-28.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$55.2 ₽4,605

1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$44.18 ₽3,687

-26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$107 ₽8,917

12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$104 ₽8,685

3.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$624 ₽52.1K

63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$460 ₽38.4K

55.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$895 ₽74.7K

103.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$568 ₽47.4K

133.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,317 ₽193.3K

3.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,465 ₽122.3K

5.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$822 ₽68.6K

99.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

19.83

-44.68%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$460 40.5% 35.8% $256

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$177 15.5% 21.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3% 23.7% $43

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Rostov-on-Don

$156 13.7% 11.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3% 2.2% $3.2

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Rostov-on-Don

$21 1.8% 72.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Rostov-on-Don

$44 3.9% 34.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $624 in Rostov-on-Don. 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 99% 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 $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $177 – making Rostov-on-Don the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,114,806

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Rostov-on-Don 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rostov-on-Don

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 Rostov-on-Don: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Rostov-on-Don, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,706 in Rostov-on-Don. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rostov-on-Don, 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 $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don. That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 326% less in Rostov-on-Don. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rostov-on-Don, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rostov-on-Don 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. Rostov-on-Don costs $1,137 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 Rostov-on-Don. 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.