Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Soest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
Learn more

Soest Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,925 in Soest, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Soest $1,925

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,869 in Soest, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Soest $2,869

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,812 in Soest, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Soest $3,812

Cape Town is about 19% cheaper than Soest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Soest sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Soest by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$13.52 €12.14

-10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$68.1 €61.2

-34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$11.28 €10.13

-45.48%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$2.97 €2.66

-20.54%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$2.19 €1.97

-42.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$2.25 €2.02

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$3.52 €3.16

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$2.29 €2.06

61.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.30 €1.16

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.78 €1.60

-33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$3.95 €3.55

-46.84%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$3.38 €3.03

-9.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$14.26 €12.81

-38.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$11.78 €10.58

-40.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$18.18 €16.33

-48.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$2.60 €2.34

-27.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.97 €1.77

-4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$2.09 €1.88

-19.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$2.26 €2.03

-9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.34 €1.20

17.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.23 €1.10

20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.58 €1.42

-18.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.02 €0.92

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$9.38 €8.43

-61.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$6.07 €5.46

1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$0.89 €0.80

56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.47 €1.32

48.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$3.41 €3.06

-59.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$60.6 €54.5

1.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$3.84 €3.45

-85.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$2.63 €2.36

-43.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$33.48 €30.07

-85.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.05 €1.84

-22.93%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$30.1K €27.1K

15.24%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$38.5K €34.6K

-11.43%

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

$117 R 1,948

$377 €339

-68.99%

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

$28.35 R 472

$16.99 €15.26

66.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$43.10 €38.71

-5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$27.92 €25.08

73.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$30.12 €27.06

-64.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$10.60 €9.52

-14.06%

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

$302 R 5,032

$467 €420

-35.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$17.1K €15.3K

-60.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$128 €115

-56.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$33.35 €29.96

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$118 €106

0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$122 €110

-15.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$1,109 €996

-6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$644 €578

7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,457 €1,309

35.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,142 €1,026

21.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$4,354 €3,911

-44.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$3,673 €3,300

-57.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.96

177.02%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Soest

$644 33.4% 6.8% $47

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Soest

$305 15.9% 36.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Soest

$437 22.7% 135% $251

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Soest

$218 11.3% 24.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Soest

$181 9.4% 29.7% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Soest

$91 4.7% 22.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Soest

$49 2.6% 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $1,109 in Soest. 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $68 in Soest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $305 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇪 Soest

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

47,460

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Soest 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Soest

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 Soest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Soest costs about 24% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,887 in Soest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,041 in Cape Town and $1,109 in Soest. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,925 in Soest. That’s a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $467 in Soest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,925 in Soest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.