Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dordrecht and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,640 in Dordrecht, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dordrecht, Netherlands
Cape Town, South Africa
Dordrecht
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,640
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,640 per month in Dordrecht vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dordrecht $2,640
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,741 per month in Dordrecht vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dordrecht $3,741
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,843 per month in Dordrecht vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dordrecht $4,843
  • Cape Town $3,306

Dordrecht costs about 73% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dordrecht and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dordrecht by 95%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.17 €17.07
$12.01 R 198
59.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.9 €79.2
$42.92 R 707
107.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.47 €12.88
$6.15 R 101
135.28%
Cappuccino
$4.08 €3.63
$2.37 R 39.04
72.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 €3.17
$1.27 R 20.96
180.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 €2.31
$0.94 R 15.46
176.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.21 €5.53
$2.96 R 48.77
109.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74 €5.11
$3.69 R 60.8
55.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.32 R 21.73
-0.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.21 R 19.87
70.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.87 €2.56
$2.20 R 36.26
30.45%
Eggs
$4.16 €3.70
$3.10 R 51.1
34.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.81 €12.30
$8.73 R 144
58.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.34 €12.77
$6.89 R 114
108.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.67 €15.74
$9.26 R 153
90.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$1.83 R 30.08
38.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 €2.08
$1.95 R 32.12
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.66 R 27.32
27.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.59 €3.19
$2.14 R 35.19
67.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 €1.71
$1.58 R 26.01
22.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 €1.49
$1.47 R 24.29
13.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 €1.07
$1.35 R 22.18
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.14 R 18.85
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.32 €10.97
$3.58 R 59.0
244.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.37 €6.56
$6.05 R 99.7
21.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.38
$1.39 R 22.95
10.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 €2.31
$2.18 R 35.90
19.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.38 €3.90
$1.40 R 23.02
212.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.1 €79.4
$60.8 R 1,001
46.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 €3.64
$0.93 R 15.26
338.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.11 €2.77
$0.90 R 14.83
245.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.02 €30.29
$4.96 R 81.7
585.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.60 €2.32
$1.54 R 25.37
68.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.0K €37.4K
$35.4K R 582.8K
18.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$33.4K R 549.9K
17.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$412 €367
$117 R 1,929
252.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.73 €28.25
$25.71 R 424
23.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.86 €41.73
$39.41 R 649
18.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.07 €31.23
$51.6 R 850
-32.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.46 €21.78
$11.35 R 187
115.51%
Cinema Ticket
$14.79 €13.17
$8.89 R 146
66.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,509 €2,234
$308 R 5,069
715.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,948 €7,077
$8,141 R 134.2K
-2.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.9 €65.8
$57.4 R 946
28.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.84 €31.91
$31.75 R 523
12.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 €85.5
$116 R 1,911
-17.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$174 €155
$101 R 1,660
72.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 €1,334
$1,047 R 17.2K
43.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,138 €1,014
$669 R 11.0K
70.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 €1,916
$1,861 R 30.7K
15.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,662 €1,480
$1,407 R 23.2K
18.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,276 €3,807
$2,410 R 39.7K
77.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,845 €3,424
$1,570 R 25.9K
144.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dordrecht
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,153 €4,588
$1,630 R 26.9K
216.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.27
10.89
-60.79%

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

Last update for Dordrecht: 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
Dordrecht
$1.1K
Cape Town
$669 41.2% $469
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dordrecht
$491
Cape Town
$182 62.9% $309
Groceries & Markets
Dordrecht
$336
Cape Town
$223 33.6% $113
Eating Out
Dordrecht
$313
Cape Town
$174 44.4% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Dordrecht
$171
Cape Town
$138 19.4% $33
Getting Around
Dordrecht
$126
Cape Town
$72 43.2% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Dordrecht
$65
Cape Town
$69 7.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,498 in Dordrecht 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 in Dordrecht are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Dordrecht versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Dordrecht
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
07:10 7:10 AM
08:10 8:10 AM
1 h ahead of Dordrecht
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
121,434
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dordrecht Cape Town 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dordrecht
  • 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
Dordrecht vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dordrecht or Cape Town?
Dordrecht costs about 73% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Dordrecht and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,960 per month in Dordrecht and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Dordrecht or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,498 in Dordrecht.
How much does it cost to live in Dordrecht compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,640 in Dordrecht and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 42% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Dordrecht compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 32% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Dordrecht or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,640 in Dordrecht and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Dordrecht or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,640 in Dordrecht. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Dordrecht or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dordrecht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Dordrecht vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?