Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $922 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
Learn more

Satu Mare Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Satu Mare

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $922 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Satu Mare $922

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,392 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Satu Mare $1,392

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,862 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Satu Mare $1,862

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Satu Mare is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$8.30 RON 39.26

46.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$32.02 RON 152

41.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.23 RON 29.50

-5.62%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.48 RON 11.73

0.81%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.49 RON 7.07

-14.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.30 RON 6.14

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.90 RON 8.98

57.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.46 RON 11.65

51.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.12 RON 5.29

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.02 RON 4.83

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 RON 5.42

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.66 RON 12.58

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.03 RON 33.24

28.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.34 RON 34.71

-5.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.74 RON 50.8

-13.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.08 RON 5.12

70.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.33 RON 6.29

47.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.23 RON 5.82

35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.41 RON 6.66

53.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.16 RON 5.51

35.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.34 RON 6.32

10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.94 RON 4.47

38.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.69 RON 3.26

63.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.31 RON 25.11

-32.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.17 RON 29.18

-0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.21 RON 5.73

14.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.76 RON 8.33

21.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.54 RON 2.57

177.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$23.25 RON 110

161.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.84 RON 4.00

-29.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.82 RON 3.90

82.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.93 RON 37.54

-35.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.56 RON 7.36

-0.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$22.3K RON 105.4K

62.46%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$24.6K RON 116.6K

26.81%

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

$114 R 1,883

$123 RON 581

-6.86%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.13 RON 33.74

305.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$7.26 RON 34.37

447.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$41.96 RON 199

16.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$10.54 RON 49.84

4.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.11 RON 28.92

49.75%

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

$259 R 4,264

$154 RON 728

68.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,826 RON 18.1K

77.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$60.6 RON 287

-7.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$27.58 RON 130

17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$83.9 RON 397

43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$70.6 RON 334

53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$327 RON 1,545

212.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$259 RON 1,226

176.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$654 RON 3,093

178.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$402 RON 1,904

229.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$984 RON 4,654

143.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,043 RON 4,937

47.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$650 RON 3,076

152.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.05

55.60%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Satu Mare

$259 28.1% 63.9% $458

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Satu Mare

$192 20.8% 14.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Satu Mare

$137 14.9% 25% $46

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Satu Mare

$140 15.2% 20.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 23.5% $34

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Satu Mare

$30 3.3% 59.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Satu Mare

$54 5.9% 19.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $327 in Satu Mare. 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 152% 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 $32.00 in Satu Mare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $192 – making Satu Mare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

102,411

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Satu Mare 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Satu Mare

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 Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Satu Mare, 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 $1,384 in Satu Mare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Satu Mare, 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 $922 in Satu Mare. That's a gap of about 72%.

Public transport costs about 161% less in Satu Mare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Satu Mare, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Satu Mare 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. Satu Mare costs $922 versus $1,586 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 Satu Mare. 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.