Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Debrecen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Debrecen: $1,446 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
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Debrecen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,446

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,446 per month in Debrecen vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Debrecen $1,446
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,282 per month in Debrecen vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Debrecen $2,282
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,119 per month in Debrecen vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Debrecen $3,119
Cape Town $3,306

Debrecen is about 5% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Debrecen and Cape Town sit above the global median – Debrecen by 7%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$12.01 R 197

13.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.67 Ft 15.7K

$42.92 R 703

13.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 Ft 3,218

$6.15 R 101

61.79%

Cappuccino

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.37 R 38.81

1.27%

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

$1.56 Ft 504

$1.27 R 20.84

22.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 340

$0.94 R 15.37

11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 Ft 612

$2.96 R 48.48

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 Ft 758

$3.69 R 60.5

-36.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Ft 405

$1.32 R 21.61

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 Ft 503

$1.21 R 19.75

28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 Ft 784

$2.20 R 36.05

10.00%

Eggs

$3.56 Ft 1,151

$3.10 R 50.8

14.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$8.73 R 143

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 Ft 2,149

$6.89 R 113

-3.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 Ft 4,910

$9.26 R 152

64.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.83 R 29.90

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 Ft 719

$1.95 R 31.94

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 649

$1.66 R 27.16

21.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 Ft 1,111

$2.14 R 34.99

60.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 Ft 296

$1.58 R 25.86

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 Ft 415

$1.47 R 24.15

-12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 502

$1.35 R 22.05

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 Ft 182

$1.14 R 18.75

-50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.07 Ft 2,286

$3.58 R 58.6

97.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.20 Ft 1,357

$6.05 R 99.2

-30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 420

$1.39 R 22.82

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Ft 688

$2.18 R 35.69

-2.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 Ft 489

$1.40 R 22.88

7.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.02 Ft 8,736

$60.8 R 995

-55.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 Ft 1,024

$0.93 R 15.18

240.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 Ft 542

$0.90 R 14.75

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.47 Ft 6,616

$4.96 R 81.3

312.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 Ft 594

$1.54 R 25.23

19.48%

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

$27.9K Ft 9.0M

$35.4K R 579.4K

-21.17%

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

$34.9K Ft 11.3M

$33.4K R 546.7K

4.46%

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

$156 Ft 50.3K

$117 R 1,918

33.02%

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

$26.35 Ft 8,517

$25.71 R 421

2.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.79 Ft 7,045

$39.41 R 646

-44.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 Ft 17.9K

$51.6 R 846

7.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.30 Ft 2,684

$11.35 R 186

-26.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 Ft 3,072

$8.89 R 146

6.86%

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

$412 Ft 133.1K

$308 R 5,040

33.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K Ft 6.2M

$8,141 R 133.4K

135.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 Ft 29.0K

$57.4 R 940

56.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 Ft 10.8K

$31.75 R 520

4.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 Ft 27.9K

$116 R 1,900

-25.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 Ft 32.9K

$101 R 1,650

1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 Ft 229.4K

$1,047 R 17.1K

-32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 Ft 175.3K

$669 R 11.0K

-18.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 Ft 455.7K

$1,861 R 30.5K

-24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 Ft 356.0K

$1,407 R 23.1K

-21.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,295 Ft 1.1M

$2,410 R 39.5K

36.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,475 Ft 800.2K

$1,570 R 25.7K

57.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 Ft 391.3K

$1,630 R 26.7K

-25.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

10.89

-36.64%

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

Last update for Debrecen: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Debrecen

$542 37.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 23.4% $127

Groceries & Markets

Debrecen

$249 17.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 10.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Debrecen

$204 14.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 10.6% $22

Eating Out

Debrecen

$192 13.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 9.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Debrecen

$140 9.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 1.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Debrecen

$74 5.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 6.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Debrecen

$45 3.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 60.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $710 in Debrecen 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 35% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Debrecen versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

1 h ahead of Debrecen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,704

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

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 HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Debrecen Cape Town 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Debrecen
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

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

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Debrecen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,169 per month in Debrecen 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 Debrecen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $710 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,446 in Debrecen and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Debrecen about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Debrecen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,446 in Debrecen 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 $1,446 in Debrecen to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Debrecen. 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.