Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zell am see

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,284 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Zell am see

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 Zell am see actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,284 in Zell am see, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Zell am see $2,284

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,355 in Zell am see, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Zell am see $3,355

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,427 in Zell am see, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Zell am see $4,427

Cape Town is about 33% cheaper than Zell am see, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Zell am see sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Zell am see by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$16.93 €15.07

-29.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$83.3 €74.2

-48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.92 €8.84

-38.00%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.18 €3.73

-43.30%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.43 €3.05

-62.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.93 €2.61

-67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$5.61 €5.00

-47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.29 €4.71

-30.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.72 €1.53

-23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.46 €2.19

-50.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.44 €2.17

-9.84%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.58 €4.08

-32.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$21.53 €19.17

-59.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.72 €11.33

-45.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$21.30 €18.97

-56.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.90 €2.58

-36.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.59 €2.30

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.43 €3.05

-51.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.98 €3.55

-46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.48 €2.21

-36.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$3.12 €2.78

-52.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.23 €1.98

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.22 €1.08

-6.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.92 €7.05

-54.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.78 €7.82

-31.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.30 €1.15

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.21 €1.97

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$2.76 €2.45

-49.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$56.9 €50.7

6.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.85 €2.54

-67.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.91 €0.81

-1.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$30.99 €27.59

-83.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.76 €1.56

-12.50%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.4K €27.1K

16.35%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.6K €27.2K

9.22%

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

$117 R 1,929

$342 €304

-65.75%

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

$25.71 R 424

$15.74 €14.01

63.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$37.72 €33.59

4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$40.28 €35.86

28.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$22.52 €20.05

-49.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.60 €13.89

-43.01%

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

$308 R 5,069

$443 €395

-30.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$15.8K €14.1K

-48.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$84.7 €75.4

-32.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$60.1 €53.5

-47.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$113 €101

2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$123 €110

-18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,011 €900

3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$900 €801

-25.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,571 €1,399

18.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,409 €1,254

-0.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$7,018 €6,249

-65.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$5,784 €5,150

-72.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.5

211.14%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Zell am see

$900 39.4% 34.4% $230

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Zell am see

$391 17.1% 75.3% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Zell am see

$395 17.3% 117% $213

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Zell am see

$279 12.2% 60.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Zell am see

$171 7.5% 24.6% $34

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Zell am see

$75 3.3% 5% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Zell am see

$71 3.1% 3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,011 in Zell am see. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $83 in Zell am see. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $391 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,131

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Zell am see 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Zell am see

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 Zell am see: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zell am see costs about 50% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $3,426 in Zell am see. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,011 in Zell am see. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,284 in Zell am see. That makes Cape Town about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Zell am see. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,284 in Zell am see. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,284 in Zell am see. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.