Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Szeged

For one person, living is cheaper in Szeged: $1,234 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
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Szeged Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,234 in Szeged, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Szeged $1,234

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,934 in Szeged, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Szeged $1,934

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,634 in Szeged, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Szeged $2,634

Cape Town costs about 24% more than Szeged, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Szeged is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$9.39 Ft 3,062

27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$57.8 Ft 18.8K

-25.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$9.39 Ft 3,060

-34.50%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.43 Ft 791

-2.47%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.52 Ft 497

-16.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.32 Ft 432

-28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.28 Ft 744

29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$2.26 Ft 735

63.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.17 Ft 382

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.30 Ft 424

-6.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.52 Ft 823

-12.70%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.63 Ft 1,182

-14.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.45 Ft 3,406

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.41 Ft 2,089

7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$16.57 Ft 5,401

-44.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.20 Ft 718

-16.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.15 Ft 700

-9.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.02 Ft 658

-17.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$3.35 Ft 1,091

-36.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.02 Ft 333

54.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.10 Ft 357

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.66 Ft 541

-18.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.52 Ft 168

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$8.19 Ft 2,670

-56.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$5.28 Ft 1,720

14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.27 Ft 414

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.96 Ft 640

11.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.67 Ft 544

-16.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$29.14 Ft 9,497

108.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$3.05 Ft 995

-69.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.74 Ft 566

-48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$18.49 Ft 6,028

-73.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.83 Ft 597

-15.85%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$27.1K Ft 8.8M

30.26%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$35.5K Ft 11.6M

-5.96%

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

$117 R 1,935

$129 Ft 42.2K

-9.56%

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

$25.71 R 425

$21.75 Ft 7,091

18.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$19.90 Ft 6,485

98.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$53.4 Ft 17.4K

-3.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$29.27 Ft 9,539

-61.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$9.00 Ft 2,932

-1.22%

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

$308 R 5,085

$249 Ft 81.2K

23.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$7,874 Ft 2.6M

3.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$112 Ft 36.6K

-48.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$33.25 Ft 10.8K

-4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$93.8 Ft 30.6K

23.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$111 Ft 36.2K

-9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$523 Ft 170.4K

100.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$376 Ft 122.7K

77.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$751 Ft 244.8K

147.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$619 Ft 201.6K

127.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$3,296 Ft 1.1M

-26.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,337 Ft 761.8K

-32.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,193 Ft 389.0K

36.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.67

63.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Szeged: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Szeged

$376 30.5% 43.8% $293

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Szeged

$250 20.3% 12% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Szeged

$171 13.9% 6.1% $11

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Szeged

$160 13% 8.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Szeged

$158 12.8% 14.6% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Szeged

$48 3.9% 33.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Szeged

$71 5.8% 2.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $523 in Szeged. 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 37% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $58 in Szeged. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $250 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇺 Szeged

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

157,930

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Szeged 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Szeged

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 Szeged: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 24% more than Szeged, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,851 in Szeged. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szeged, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $523 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,234 in Szeged. That makes Szeged about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Szeged. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szeged, where all-in costs run around $1,234, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Szeged 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. Szeged costs $1,234 versus $1,527 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Szeged. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.