Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,155 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,155

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,155 in Timisoara, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Timisoara $1,155

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,763 in Timisoara, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Timisoara $1,763

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,371 in Timisoara, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Timisoara $2,371

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Timisoara is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$10.66 RON 50.4

10.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$47.11 RON 223

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.58 RON 40.60

-30.54%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.98 RON 14.10

-17.11%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$2.13 RON 10.10

-37.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.62 RON 7.68

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.67 RON 12.65

12.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.23 RON 19.99

-13.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.38 RON 6.51

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.21 RON 5.71

-1.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.31 RON 6.22

61.07%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.97 RON 14.07

1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.63 RON 40.82

3.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.11 RON 28.92

8.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$10.99 RON 52.0

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.13 RON 5.35

61.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.46 RON 6.91

30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.45 RON 6.88

20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.38 RON 11.26

-12.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.79 RON 3.74

96.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.98 RON 4.61

52.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.65 RON 3.09

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.73 RON 3.44

58.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$6.12 RON 28.96

-39.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$7.23 RON 34.21

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.13 RON 5.34

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.71 RON 8.07

28.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$1.06 RON 5.02

42.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$33.86 RON 160

80.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.82 RON 3.87

-23.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.82 RON 3.87

86.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$8.32 RON 39.37

-42.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.94 RON 9.18

-18.56%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$28.6K RON 135.2K

24.21%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$24.3K RON 114.8K

30.85%

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

$116 R 1,920

$168 RON 795

-30.76%

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

$28.37 R 468

$6.72 RON 31.77

322.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$8.34 RON 39.45

387.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$38.65 RON 183

26.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$16.17 RON 76.5

-31.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$7.94 RON 37.54

11.21%

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

$261 R 4,314

$598 RON 2,831

-56.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$8,769 RON 41.5K

-23.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$75.0 RON 355

-26.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$39.30 RON 186

-17.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$75.5 RON 357

55.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$90.4 RON 428

18.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$547 RON 2,588

85.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$360 RON 1,704

98.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$840 RON 3,975

114.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$611 RON 2,889

117.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$2,495 RON 11.8K

-6.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,863 RON 8,814

-18.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$1,183 RON 5,596

38.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.88

59.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Timisoara

$360 31.2% 49.6% $355

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Timisoara

$204 17.7% 8.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Timisoara

$183 15.9% 1.3% $2.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Timisoara

$184 15.9% 5.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Timisoara

$126 10.9% 10.2% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Timisoara

$43 3.7% 42.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Timisoara

$55 4.7% 18% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $547 in Timisoara. 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 38% 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 $47.00 in Timisoara. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $204 in Timisoara – so Timisoara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

319,279

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Timisoara 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Timisoara

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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Timisoara, 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 $1,733 in Timisoara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Timisoara, 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 $1,155 in Timisoara. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Timisoara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Timisoara, where all-in costs run around $1,155, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Timisoara 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. Timisoara costs $1,155 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 Timisoara. 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.