Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Trebinje

For one person, living is cheaper in Trebinje: $844 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Trebinje
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Trebinje Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Trebinje

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $844 in Trebinje, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Trebinje $844

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,334 in Trebinje, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Trebinje $1,334

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,825 in Trebinje, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Trebinje $1,825

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Trebinje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Trebinje is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$8.93 BAM 15.55

34.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$30.95 BAM 53.9

38.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.00 BAM 19.16

-44.09%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$1.20 BAM 2.09

97.50%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.86 BAM 3.25

-31.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.32 BAM 2.30

-28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$2.33 BAM 4.06

27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$2.35 BAM 4.09

57.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.13 BAM 1.96

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.03 BAM 1.79

17.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.64 BAM 2.86

34.15%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$2.34 BAM 4.08

32.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$9.77 BAM 17.01

-10.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$6.89 BAM 12.00

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$11.37 BAM 19.80

-18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.28 BAM 2.22

42.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.61 BAM 2.80

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.26 BAM 2.19

31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$1.77 BAM 3.08

20.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.90 BAM 1.57

75.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.23 BAM 2.15

19.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$0.90 BAM 1.56

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.61 BAM 1.06

86.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$3.61 BAM 6.29

-0.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.60 BAM 9.76

8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$0.64 BAM 1.11

117.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.31 BAM 2.28

66.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$1.13 BAM 1.98

-17.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.59 BAM 1.03

52.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$17.00 BAM 29.60

-70.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.50 BAM 2.61

2.67%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$30.0K BAM 52.3K

17.73%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$21.5K BAM 37.4K

55.25%

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

$117 R 1,918

$83.1 BAM 145

40.93%

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

$25.71 R 421

$16.30 BAM 28.38

57.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$26.23 BAM 45.69

50.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$32.65 BAM 56.9

58.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$14.11 BAM 24.57

-19.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$2.83 BAM 4.93

214.13%

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

$308 R 5,040

$155 BAM 270

98.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$3,652 BAM 6,360

122.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$83.2 BAM 145

-31.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$36.30 BAM 63.2

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$94.0 BAM 164

23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$99.4 BAM 173

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$288 BAM 501

264.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$189 BAM 329

254.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$520 BAM 906

257.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$356 BAM 620

295.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$2,474 BAM 4,309

-2.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$1,768 BAM 3,078

-11.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$861 BAM 1,499

89.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.44

145.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Trebinje: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Trebinje

$189 22.4% 71.8% $480

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Trebinje

$198 23.5% 11.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Trebinje

$126 14.9% 31.1% $57

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Trebinje

$148 17.5% 15% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Trebinje

$141 16.7% 2.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Trebinje

$4.1 * 0.5% 94.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Trebinje

$38 4.5% 44.8% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $288 in Trebinje. 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 89% 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 $31 in Trebinje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $198 – making Trebinje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇦 Trebinje

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

25,589

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Trebinje 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Trebinje

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 Trebinje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Trebinje, 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 $1,266 in Trebinje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trebinje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $844 in Trebinje. That makes Trebinje about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $155 in Trebinje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $844 in Trebinje. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Trebinje – 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 Trebinje. 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.