Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Wroclaw

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,705 in Wroclaw, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wroclaw outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Wroclaw
Learn more

Wroclaw Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Wroclaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,705 in Wroclaw, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Wroclaw $1,705

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,454 in Wroclaw, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Wroclaw $2,454

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,204 in Wroclaw, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Wroclaw $3,204

Cape Town is about 10% cheaper than Wroclaw, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Wroclaw sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Wroclaw by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$10.15 zł 39.78

18.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$50.1 zł 197

-14.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.79 zł 38.36

-37.18%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.92 zł 15.37

-39.54%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.16 zł 8.46

-41.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.91 zł 7.47

-50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$4.06 zł 15.92

-27.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.08 zł 19.93

-27.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.09 zł 4.28

21.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.56 zł 6.13

-22.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.44 zł 5.64

52.78%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.93 zł 15.41

-21.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.17 zł 35.96

-4.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.87 zł 26.92

0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.03 zł 47.17

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.24 zł 4.86

47.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.63 zł 6.40

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.66 zł 6.53

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.56 zł 13.95

-39.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.97 zł 3.79

62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.77 zł 3.02

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.38 zł 5.41

-2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.66 zł 2.60

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.19 zł 24.27

-42.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.55 zł 29.61

-19.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.14 zł 4.46

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.77 zł 6.92

23.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.10 zł 4.31

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$28.25 zł 111

115.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.25 zł 8.82

-58.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.03 zł 4.03

-12.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$9.96 zł 39.05

-50.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.65 zł 6.47

-6.67%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.0K zł 117.6K

17.89%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.2K zł 110.5K

18.35%

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

$117 R 1,929

$332 zł 1,302

-64.75%

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

$25.71 R 424

$9.93 zł 38.93

158.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$17.78 zł 69.7

121.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$39.91 zł 156

29.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$31.64 zł 124

-64.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.86 zł 34.75

0.34%

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

$308 R 5,069

$477 zł 1,872

-35.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$12.5K zł 48.9K

-34.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$98.0 zł 384

-41.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$39.04 zł 153

-18.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$91.1 zł 357

27.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$105 zł 410

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$842 zł 3,301

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$665 zł 2,605

0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,477 zł 5,789

25.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,082 zł 4,241

30.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,695 zł 18.4K

-48.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,359 zł 13.2K

-53.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,745 zł 6,839

-6.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

7.2

51.25%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wroclaw: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Wroclaw

$665 39% 0.7% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Wroclaw

$229 13.4% 2.4% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Wroclaw

$360 21.1% 97.5% $178

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Wroclaw

$204 12% 17.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Wroclaw

$150 8.8% 8.8% $12

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Wroclaw

$40 2.4% 44.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Wroclaw

$58 3.4% 16.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $842 in Wroclaw. 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 7% higher in Wroclaw, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $50 in Wroclaw. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $229 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Wroclaw

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

642,869

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Wroclaw 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Wroclaw

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 Wroclaw: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wroclaw costs about 12% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,557 in Wroclaw. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wroclaw, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $842 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,705 in Wroclaw. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $477 in Wroclaw. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,705 in Wroclaw. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,705 in Wroclaw. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wroclaw makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.