Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleroi and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,023 in Charleroi, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,023

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Charleroi and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,023 per month in Charleroi vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Charleroi $2,023
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,929 per month in Charleroi vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Charleroi $2,929
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,835 per month in Charleroi vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Charleroi $3,835
Cape Town $3,306

Charleroi costs about 32% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Charleroi and Cape Town sit above the global median – Charleroi by 50%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.59 €20.11

$12.01 R 198

88.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$42.92 R 707

93.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.05

$6.15 R 101

120.00%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$2.37 R 39.04

23.21%

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

$2.13 €1.89

$1.27 R 20.96

67.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$0.94 R 15.46

120.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.96 R 48.77

8.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.69 R 60.8

7.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.32 R 21.73

-13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.21 R 19.87

109.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.20 R 36.26

4.55%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.44

$3.10 R 51.1

24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.33 €14.54

$8.73 R 144

87.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.96 €10.65

$6.89 R 114

73.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.20

$9.26 R 153

132.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.83 R 30.08

37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.95 R 32.12

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.66 R 27.32

62.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.14 R 35.19

57.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.58 R 26.01

32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.47 R 24.29

-25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 R 22.18

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.14 R 18.85

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 €11.06

$3.58 R 59.0

246.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.96

$6.05 R 99.7

47.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.39 R 22.95

24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.18 R 35.90

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.40 R 23.02

109.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.68 €37.11

$60.8 R 1,001

-31.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 €4.87

$0.93 R 15.26

488.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.90 R 14.83

203.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.79 €39.88

$4.96 R 81.7

803.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.54 R 25.37

16.88%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-16.10%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-3.05%

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

$214 €190

$117 R 1,929

82.51%

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

$22.62 €20.14

$25.71 R 424

-12.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.36 €43.06

$39.41 R 649

22.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.81 €28.32

$51.6 R 850

-38.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.32 €25.21

$11.35 R 187

149.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.35 €13.67

$8.89 R 146

72.67%

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

$1,651 €1,470

$308 R 5,069

436.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$8,141 R 134.2K

104.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €103

$57.4 R 946

100.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 €46.82

$31.75 R 523

65.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 €80.3

$116 R 1,911

-22.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 €79.7

$101 R 1,660

-11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 €722

$1,047 R 17.2K

-22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 €720

$669 R 11.0K

20.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €935

$1,861 R 30.7K

-43.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 €930

$1,407 R 23.2K

-25.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,945 €2,622

$2,410 R 39.7K

22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,871 €2,557

$1,570 R 25.9K

82.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,294 €2,042

$1,630 R 26.9K

40.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.89

-67.58%

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

Last update for Charleroi: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charleroi

$809 40%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 17.3% $140

Groceries & Markets

Charleroi

$341 16.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 34.5% $118

Eating Out

Charleroi

$297 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 41.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleroi

$285 14.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 36% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Charleroi

$156 7.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12% $19

Getting Around

Charleroi

$73 3.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Charleroi

$63 3.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 11% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in Charleroi versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 41% higher in Charleroi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Charleroi versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

1 h ahead of Charleroi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,730

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Charleroi Cape Town 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Charleroi
Cape Town

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

Charleroi vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleroi costs about 32% 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 $3,035 per month in Charleroi and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Charleroi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $810 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,023 in Charleroi and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 25% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Charleroi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,023 in Charleroi and $1,527 in Cape Town. 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 $2,023 in Charleroi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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