Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sumy

For one person, living is cheaper in Sumy: $973 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Sumy
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Sumy Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sumy

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $973 in Sumy, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sumy $973

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,669 in Sumy, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sumy $1,669

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,365 in Sumy, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sumy $2,365

Cape Town costs about 63% more than Sumy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sumy is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.13 ₴500

9.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$33.38 ₴1,498

35.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.95 ₴357

-26.04%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.69 ₴75.7

47.93%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.75 ₴33.57

69.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.55 ₴24.78

78.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.35 ₴60.8

121.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.96 ₴87.8

89.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.35 ₴60.6

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.83 ₴37.37

50.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.45 ₴64.9

53.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.06 ₴92.3

50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.31 ₴463

-12.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.36 ₴241

29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.79 ₴395

5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.20 ₴53.9

53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.55 ₴69.5

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.88 ₴84.2

-11.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.81 ₴126

-22.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.65 ₴29.22

141.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.46 ₴20.52

221.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.39 ₴62.3

-6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.66 ₴29.53

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.86 ₴128

25.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.63 ₴253

9.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.90 ₴40.26

53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$0.90 ₴40.28

137.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.34 ₴15.38

341.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$8.44 ₴379

619.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.23 ₴100

-73.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.46 ₴20.57

226.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.37 ₴196

16.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.51 ₴67.9

2.65%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$29.1K ₴1.3M

24.33%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$22.2K ₴996.4K

40.76%

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

$114 R 1,883

$100.0 ₴4,488

14.33%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.01 ₴315

312.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$6.54 ₴293

507.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$46.50 ₴2,087

5.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$21.44 ₴962

-48.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.56 ₴160

157.02%

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

$259 R 4,264

$238 ₴10.7K

8.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$15.3K ₴686.2K

-55.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$74.6 ₴3,346

-24.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$31.08 ₴1,395

4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$97.4 ₴4,372

23.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$121 ₴5,432

-10.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$545 ₴24.4K

87.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$306 ₴13.7K

134.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$998 ₴44.8K

82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$845 ₴37.9K

57.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,641 ₴73.6K

45.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,360 ₴61.0K

13.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$380 ₴17.1K

330.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

15.9

-31.01%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sumy: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sumy

$306 31.4% 57.4% $411

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sumy

$191 19.6% 15.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sumy

$114 11.7% 37.9% $69

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sumy

$149 15.3% 15.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sumy

$146 15% 2.1% $3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sumy

$14 1.5% 80.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sumy

$54 5.5% 20.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $545 in Sumy. 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 331% 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 $33.00 in Sumy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $191 – making Sumy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇦 Sumy

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

267,633

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sumy 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sumy

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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 63% more than Sumy, 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 $1,459 in Sumy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sumy, 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 $973 in Sumy. That's a gap of about 63%.

Public transport costs about 620% less in Sumy. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sumy, where all-in costs run around $973, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sumy 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. Sumy costs $973 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 Sumy. 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.