Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $942 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Targu Mures

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $942 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Targu Mures $942

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,446 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Targu Mures $1,446

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,950 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Targu Mures $1,950

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Targu Mures is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$9.02 RON 42.67

30.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$42.09 RON 199

10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.17 RON 38.64

-27.05%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.21 RON 10.43

11.76%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.46 RON 6.90

-8.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.22 RON 5.78

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.94 RON 9.15

55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$2.35 RON 11.12

55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.36 RON 6.41

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.12 RON 5.29

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.39 RON 6.59

51.80%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.92 RON 13.81

3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$7.83 RON 37.04

14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.78 RON 27.32

15.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$10.20 RON 48.24

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$0.93 RON 4.39

96.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.27 RON 6.01

49.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.45 RON 6.87

20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.90 RON 8.99

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.72 RON 3.39

115.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.52 RON 2.46

186.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.88 RON 4.15

47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.76 RON 3.59

52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$5.81 RON 27.49

-36.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$7.32 RON 34.64

-17.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.07 RON 5.07

29.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.55 RON 7.33

41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.65 RON 3.07

132.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$25.67 RON 121

137.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.85 RON 4.03

-25.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.81 RON 3.82

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$7.60 RON 35.94

-36.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.87 RON 8.85

-15.51%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$29.1K RON 137.7K

21.91%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$25.2K RON 119.2K

25.98%

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

$116 R 1,920

$102 RON 482

14.31%

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

$28.37 R 468

$9.28 RON 43.89

205.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$8.35 RON 39.49

387.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$41.67 RON 197

17.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$17.94 RON 84.9

-37.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$6.21 RON 29.38

42.19%

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

$261 R 4,314

$1,335 RON 6,312

-80.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$53.4 RON 253

3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$30.39 RON 144

6.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$75.7 RON 358

55.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$78.4 RON 371

36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$421 RON 1,990

141.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$290 RON 1,371

146.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$646 RON 3,055

178.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$485 RON 2,294

174.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$2,236 RON 10.6K

4.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,482 RON 7,008

2.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$998 RON 4,722

63.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

7.47

46.85%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Targu Mures

$290 30.7% 59.5% $426

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Targu Mures

$191 20.3% 13.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Targu Mures

$119 12.7% 35.6% $66

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Targu Mures

$148 15.7% 14.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Targu Mures

$107 11.4% 23.8% $33

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 56% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Targu Mures

$54 5.7% 18.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $421 in Targu Mures. 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 64% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $42.00 in Targu Mures. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $191 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

134,290

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Targu Mures 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Targu Mures

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 Targu Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Targu Mures, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,412 in Targu Mures. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $942 in Targu Mures. That's a gap of about 67%.

Public transport costs about 137% less in Targu Mures. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Targu Mures, where all-in costs run around $942, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Targu Mures 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. Targu Mures costs $942 versus $1,568 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 Targu Mures. 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.