Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,066 in Dortmund, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,066

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,066 per month in Dortmund vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dortmund $2,066
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,117 per month in Dortmund vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dortmund $3,117
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,168 per month in Dortmund vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dortmund $4,168
Cape Town $3,306

Dortmund costs about 35% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dortmund and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dortmund by 53%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €15.01

$12.01 R 197

40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 €69.1

$42.92 R 703

80.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.34 €10.99

$6.15 R 101

100.65%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.37

$2.37 R 38.81

59.92%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$1.27 R 20.84

130.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$0.94 R 15.37

212.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$2.96 R 48.48

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 €4.60

$3.69 R 60.5

40.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.32 R 21.61

1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.21 R 19.75

94.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 €3.41

$2.20 R 36.05

74.09%

Eggs

$3.66 €3.26

$3.10 R 50.8

18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 €13.31

$8.73 R 143

71.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.42

$6.89 R 113

69.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.48

$9.26 R 152

148.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.83 R 29.90

85.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.95 R 31.94

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.66 R 27.16

33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.69

$2.14 R 34.99

93.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.58 R 25.86

-20.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.47 R 24.15

10.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.35 R 22.05

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.14 R 18.75

-4.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 €8.74

$3.58 R 58.6

174.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 €6.09

$6.05 R 99.2

13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.39 R 22.82

-19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.18 R 35.69

-22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 €3.71

$1.40 R 22.88

197.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 €63.0

$60.8 R 995

16.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.92

$0.93 R 15.18

494.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 €2.74

$0.90 R 14.75

242.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.49 €35.18

$4.96 R 81.3

696.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.54 R 25.23

44.16%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-5.85%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$33.4K R 546.7K

14.99%

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

$411 €366

$117 R 1,918

250.80%

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

$30.43 €27.10

$25.71 R 421

18.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 €45.69

$39.41 R 646

30.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.19 €34.02

$51.6 R 846

-26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.61 €23.70

$11.35 R 186

134.45%

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 €14.82

$8.89 R 146

87.18%

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

$410 €365

$308 R 5,040

33.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K €24.8K

$8,141 R 133.4K

241.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.2

$57.4 R 940

58.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €46.75

$31.75 R 520

65.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 €75.9

$116 R 1,900

-26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 €153

$101 R 1,650

70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 €638

$1,047 R 17.1K

-31.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 €522

$669 R 11.0K

-12.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 €1,140

$1,861 R 30.5K

-31.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 €962

$1,407 R 23.1K

-23.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,336 €2,971

$2,410 R 39.5K

38.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,414 €2,151

$1,570 R 25.7K

53.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,256 €2,900

$1,630 R 26.7K

99.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

10.89

-63.73%

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

Last update for Dortmund: 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

Dortmund

$586 28.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 14.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$492 23.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 63% $310

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$348 16.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 35.8% $125

Eating Out

Dortmund

$279 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$180 8.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 23.7% $43

Getting Around

Dortmund

$108 5.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 33.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Dortmund 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 100% higher in Dortmund. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Dortmund versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

1 h ahead of Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Dortmund Cape Town 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
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

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

Dortmund costs about 35% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,098 per month in Dortmund 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 Dortmund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,066 in Dortmund and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,066 in Dortmund 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 $2,066 in Dortmund. 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, Dortmund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.