Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zgorzelec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,416 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Cape Town despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,416 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Zgorzelec $1,416

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,062 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Zgorzelec $2,062

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,707 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Zgorzelec $2,707

Cape Town costs about 8% more than Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cape Town and Zgorzelec sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Zgorzelec by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$8.90 zł 34.88

34.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$51.7 zł 203

-17.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.51 zł 29.44

-18.11%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.09 zł 12.12

-23.30%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.91 zł 3.58

39.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.63 zł 6.40

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.48 zł 5.79

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.05 zł 8.03

80.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.95 zł 3.72

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.20 zł 4.72

0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.40 zł 5.48

57.14%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.51 zł 13.78

-11.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.58 zł 33.65

1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.84 zł 22.88

17.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$13.05 zł 51.2

-29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$0.86 zł 3.38

112.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.50 zł 5.86

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.64 zł 6.42

1.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.55 zł 6.06

38.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.62 zł 2.43

154.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.01 zł 3.95

45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.27 zł 4.97

6.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.64 zł 2.50

78.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$4.64 zł 18.18

-22.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.53 zł 29.51

-19.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.85 zł 3.33

63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.47 zł 5.75

48.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.09 zł 4.29

28.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$29.10 zł 114

108.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.32 zł 9.10

-59.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.05 zł 4.11

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.75 zł 49.98

-61.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.62 zł 6.33

-4.94%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.4K zł 119.0K

16.45%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$27.7K zł 108.5K

20.61%

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

$117 R 1,929

$288 zł 1,130

-59.39%

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

$25.71 R 424

$7.87 zł 30.84

226.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$18.41 zł 72.2

114.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$37.66 zł 148

37.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$21.48 zł 84.2

-47.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.34 zł 28.76

21.12%

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

$308 R 5,069

$483 zł 1,893

-36.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,450 zł 29.2K

9.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$77.2 zł 302

-25.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.75 zł 148

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$86.2 zł 338

34.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$109 zł 427

-7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$599 zł 2,347

74.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$515 zł 2,018

29.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$968 zł 3,796

92.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$824 zł 3,228

70.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,959 zł 11.6K

-18.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,159 zł 8,464

-27.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,369 zł 5,366

19.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.63

64.25%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zgorzelec: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Zgorzelec

$515 36.4% 23.1% $154

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Zgorzelec

$202 14.2% 9.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Zgorzelec

$315 22.2% 72.7% $132

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Zgorzelec

$152 10.8% 12.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Zgorzelec

$139 9.9% 1.3% $1.8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Zgorzelec

$41 2.9% 42.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Zgorzelec

$52 3.7% 24.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $599 in Zgorzelec. 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 19% 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 $52 in Zgorzelec. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $202 in Zgorzelec – so Zgorzelec wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

29,534

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Zgorzelec 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Zgorzelec

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 Zgorzelec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 8% more than Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $2,125 in Zgorzelec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zgorzelec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $599 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,416 in Zgorzelec. That makes Zgorzelec about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Zgorzelec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,416 in Zgorzelec, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,416 in Zgorzelec to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zgorzelec. 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.