Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Szolnok

For one person, living is cheaper in Szolnok: $1,112 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Szolnok
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Szolnok Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Szolnok

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,112 in Szolnok, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Szolnok $1,112

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,701 in Szolnok, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Szolnok $1,701

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,289 in Szolnok, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Szolnok $2,289

Cape Town costs about 37% more than Szolnok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Szolnok is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$9.69 Ft 3,132

23.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$45.84 Ft 14.8K

-6.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.01 Ft 2,589

-23.22%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.42 Ft 782

-2.07%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.90 Ft 615

-33.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.25 Ft 405

-24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$2.64 Ft 853

12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$2.72 Ft 878

35.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$0.90 Ft 292

46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.24 Ft 401

-2.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.63 Ft 528

34.97%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.21 Ft 1,036

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$7.61 Ft 2,460

14.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$6.40 Ft 2,069

7.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$13.25 Ft 4,282

-30.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.45 Ft 467

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.78 Ft 577

9.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.51 Ft 489

9.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$2.44 Ft 788

-12.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.67 Ft 217

135.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$0.78 Ft 251

88.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.04 Ft 336

29.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.35 Ft 113

225.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$6.94 Ft 2,244

-48.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$3.71 Ft 1,198

63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$0.95 Ft 307

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.25 Ft 403

74.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.02 Ft 329

37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$25.71 Ft 8,312

136.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$2.83 Ft 916

-67.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$2.25 Ft 728

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$14.49 Ft 4,685

-65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.81 Ft 585

-14.92%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$27.1K Ft 8.8M

30.39%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$36.6K Ft 11.8M

-8.81%

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

$117 R 1,918

$130 Ft 42.1K

-10.17%

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

$25.71 R 421

$29.48 Ft 9,531

-12.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$22.64 Ft 7,318

74.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$41.76 Ft 13.5K

23.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$18.71 Ft 6,050

-39.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$3.36 Ft 1,085

164.58%

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

$308 R 5,040

$153 Ft 49.4K

101.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$4,933 Ft 1.6M

65.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$83.0 Ft 26.8K

-30.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$50.2 Ft 16.2K

-36.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$89.5 Ft 28.9K

29.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$119 Ft 38.6K

-15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$404 Ft 130.6K

159.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$323 Ft 104.5K

106.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$632 Ft 204.3K

194.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$503 Ft 162.6K

179.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$1,995 Ft 645.0K

20.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$1,603 Ft 518.1K

-2.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,064 Ft 344.0K

53.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

7.69

41.61%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Szolnok: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Szolnok

$323 29.1% 51.7% $346

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Szolnok

$198 17.8% 11.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Szolnok

$182 16.4% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Szolnok

$162 14.6% 7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Szolnok

$154 13.8% 11.9% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Szolnok

$44 4% 38.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Szolnok

$48 4.4% 30.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $404 in Szolnok. 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 53% 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 $46 in Szolnok. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $198 in Szolnok – so Szolnok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇺 Szolnok

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

66,426

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 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 = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Szolnok 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Szolnok

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 Szolnok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 37% more than Szolnok, 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 $1,668 in Szolnok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szolnok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $404 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,112 in Szolnok. That makes Szolnok about 27% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Szolnok. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,112 in Szolnok. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Szolnok. 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.