Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $652 in Ungheni, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ungheni $652

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,019 in Ungheni, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ungheni $1,019

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,385 in Ungheni, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ungheni $1,385

Cape Town costs about 143% more than Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ungheni is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$7.49 MDL 133

62.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$22.20 MDL 394

104.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.57 MDL 117

-10.50%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.42 MDL 25.24

76.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.70 MDL 12.36

81.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.44 MDL 7.79

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.99 MDL 17.59

202.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.42 MDL 25.24

161.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.71 MDL 30.30

-23.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.35 MDL 6.27

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.87 MDL 15.51

156.32%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.89 MDL 33.57

64.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.15 MDL 180

-10.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.99 MDL 70.9

73.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.17 MDL 145

13.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.44 MDL 7.78

318.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.25 MDL 22.13

56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.08 MDL 19.25

54.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.14 MDL 20.18

90.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.47 MDL 8.36

234.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.35 MDL 6.23

322.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.21 MDL 39.33

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.77 MDL 13.61

46.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.37 MDL 59.8

6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.12 MDL 73.2

49.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.43 MDL 25.46

-3.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.63 MDL 28.97

31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.36 MDL 6.34

316.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.64 MDL 29.17

-64.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.38 MDL 6.72

294.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.71 MDL 66.0

37.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.36 MDL 24.13

13.97%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

54.89%

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

$114 R 1,883

$136 MDL 2,422

-16.16%

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

$28.91 R 476

$11.08 MDL 197

160.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$15.88 MDL 282

150.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$14.19 MDL 252

245.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.88 MDL 69.0

135.82%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$47.80 MDL 849

17.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$16.72 MDL 297

93.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$34.18 MDL 607

252.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$68.3 MDL 1,213

58.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$251 MDL 4,449

307.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$113 MDL 2,003

535.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$333 MDL 5,909

448.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$277 MDL 4,914

379.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

4.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

-9.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$552 MDL 9,805

196.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

37.13%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ungheni

$113 17.3% 84.3% $604

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ungheni

$165 25.3% 26.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ungheni

$163 25% 10.7% $20

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ungheni

$109 16.7% 38.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ungheni

$75 11.5% 47.4% $68

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 93.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ungheni

$22 3.4% 67.4% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $251 in Ungheni. 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 197% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $22.00 in Ungheni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $165 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

38,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ungheni 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 143% more than Ungheni, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $978 in Ungheni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $652 in Ungheni. That's a gap of about 143%.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $652, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ungheni 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. Ungheni costs $652 versus $1,586 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 Ungheni. 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.