Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colmar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,585 in Colmar, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. The total is higher in Colmar despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Colmar
Learn more

Colmar Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Colmar

🇫🇷 France

$1,585

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colmar 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 Colmar and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Colmar vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Colmar $1,585
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,654 per month in Colmar vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Colmar $2,654
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,722 per month in Colmar vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Colmar $3,722
Cape Town $3,306

Colmar costs about 4% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Colmar and Cape Town sit above the global median – Colmar by 17%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.95

$12.01 R 197

39.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 €61.1

$42.92 R 703

59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.85

$6.15 R 101

79.84%

Cappuccino

$2.66 €2.37

$2.37 R 38.81

12.24%

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

$2.46 €2.19

$1.27 R 20.84

93.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.94 R 15.37

82.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.96 R 48.48

84.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.92

$3.69 R 60.5

49.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.32 R 21.61

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.21 R 19.75

34.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.20 R 36.05

-48.64%

Eggs

$2.48 €2.21

$3.10 R 50.8

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 €12.03

$8.73 R 143

54.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.62

$6.89 R 113

7.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 €10.05

$9.26 R 152

21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.83 R 29.90

-13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.95 R 31.94

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.66 R 27.16

-2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.14 R 34.99

1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.58 R 25.86

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 €0.68

$1.47 R 24.15

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.35 R 22.05

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.27

$1.14 R 18.75

-72.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.76 €12.26

$3.58 R 58.6

284.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.92

$6.05 R 99.2

9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$1.39 R 22.82

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$2.18 R 35.69

100.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.40 R 22.88

41.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.6 €52.2

$60.8 R 995

-3.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 €3.07

$0.93 R 15.18

270.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 €1.80

$0.90 R 14.75

125.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.65 €23.74

$4.96 R 81.3

437.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.54 R 25.23

22.73%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-0.62%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$33.4K R 546.7K

13.20%

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

$196 €174

$117 R 1,918

67.12%

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

$17.96 €16.00

$25.71 R 421

-30.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.53 €28.98

$39.41 R 646

-17.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.17 €29.55

$51.6 R 846

-35.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.12 €40.19

$11.35 R 186

297.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 €12.33

$8.89 R 146

55.79%

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

$1,061 €945

$308 R 5,040

244.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.1K

$8,141 R 133.4K

94.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 €49.45

$57.4 R 940

-3.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.72 €24.69

$31.75 R 520

-12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$116 R 1,900

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €126

$101 R 1,650

40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 €654

$1,047 R 17.1K

-29.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 €502

$669 R 11.0K

-15.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 €1,624

$1,861 R 30.5K

-2.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 €1,244

$1,407 R 23.1K

-0.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 €3,647

$2,410 R 39.5K

69.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 €2,797

$1,570 R 25.7K

100.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,977 €1,761

$1,630 R 26.7K

21.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.76

10.89

-65.47%

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

Last update for Colmar: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colmar

$564 35.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 18.6% $105

Eating Out

Colmar

$254 16.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 31.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colmar

$246 15.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 26% $64

Groceries & Markets

Colmar

$233 14.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 4% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Colmar

$147 9.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 6.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Colmar

$80 5.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 10.4% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Colmar

$61 3.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 14% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Colmar 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 21% higher in Colmar. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Colmar versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Colmar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

01:43 1:43 AM

1 h ahead of Colmar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,730

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colmar Cape Town 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Colmar
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

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

Colmar costs about 4% 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 $2,378 per month in Colmar 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 Colmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $734 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Colmar and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Colmar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Colmar 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 $1,585 in Colmar. 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, Colmar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.