Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zenica

For one person, living is cheaper in Zenica: $843 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 Zenica
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Zenica Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Zenica

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $843 in Zenica, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Zenica $843

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,237 in Zenica, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Zenica $1,237

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,631 in Zenica, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Zenica $1,631

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Zenica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$7.02 BAM 12.29

71.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$18.37 BAM 32.14

133.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$3.96 BAM 6.93

55.30%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$1.54 BAM 2.70

53.90%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.67 BAM 2.93

-23.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.25 BAM 2.18

-24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$1.96 BAM 3.42

51.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$1.98 BAM 3.46

86.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.28 BAM 2.24

3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$0.86 BAM 1.51

40.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.69 BAM 2.96

30.18%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$2.72 BAM 4.75

13.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.60 BAM 13.30

14.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.96 BAM 12.17

-1.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.51 BAM 21.89

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.30 BAM 2.27

40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.60 BAM 2.79

21.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.55 BAM 2.71

7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.86 BAM 3.26

15.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.96 BAM 1.68

64.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.22 BAM 2.14

20.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$0.59 BAM 1.03

128.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.69 BAM 1.21

65.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$3.37 BAM 5.89

6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$5.66 BAM 9.90

6.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$0.83 BAM 1.45

67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$0.98 BAM 1.71

122.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.84 BAM 1.47

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$31.74 BAM 55.5

91.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.54 BAM 2.69

-39.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.85 BAM 1.49

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$8.54 BAM 14.94

-41.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.49 BAM 2.61

3.36%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$29.9K BAM 52.3K

18.28%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$20.6K BAM 36.1K

61.75%

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

$117 R 1,935

$159 BAM 279

-26.53%

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

$25.71 R 425

$18.24 BAM 31.91

40.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$24.00 BAM 41.99

64.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$23.68 BAM 41.42

117.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$12.72 BAM 22.26

-10.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$4.49 BAM 7.86

98.00%

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

$308 R 5,085

$135 BAM 237

127.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$18.6K BAM 32.6K

-56.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$48.82 BAM 85.4

17.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$30.59 BAM 53.5

3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$91.3 BAM 160

27.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$86.3 BAM 151

16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$187 BAM 327

459.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$141 BAM 247

374.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$264 BAM 462

604.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$203 BAM 356

591.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,606 BAM 2,809

50.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,296 BAM 2,267

21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$640 BAM 1,120

154.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

263.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zenica: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Zenica

$141 16.7% 78.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Zenica

$199 23.6% 10.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Zenica

$202 23.9% 10.7% $19

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Zenica

$112 13.3% 35.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Zenica

$116 13.7% 16% $22

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Zenica

$41 4.9% 43% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Zenica

$33 3.9% 52.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $187 in Zenica. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $18 in Zenica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $199 – making Zenica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇦 Zenica

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

70,533

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.509 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.509 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Zenica 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Zenica

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 Zenica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Zenica, 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 $1,265 in Zenica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zenica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $843 in Zenica. That makes Zenica about 45% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Zenica. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $843 in Zenica. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Zenica – 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 Zenica. 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.