Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drobeta-Turnu Severin and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $875 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇷🇴 Romania

$875

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $875 per month in Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $875
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,467
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,060 per month in Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,060
Cape Town $3,263

Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 45% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin sits 35% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.35 RON 39.52

$12.14 R 200

-31.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.52 RON 201

$45.34 R 747

-6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.48

$5.88 R 96.9

27.55%

Cappuccino

$3.16 RON 14.94

$2.50 R 41.18

26.40%

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

$2.01 RON 9.51

$1.27 R 20.94

58.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$0.98 R 16.14

84.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 RON 14.83

$2.99 R 49.33

4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 RON 18.24

$3.72 R 61.4

3.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.53

$1.30 R 21.40

6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.25 R 20.68

-8.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.31

$2.23 R 36.76

-40.36%

Eggs

$3.54 RON 16.73

$3.11 R 51.2

13.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 RON 36.52

$9.06 R 149

-14.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 RON 27.73

$6.92 R 114

-15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.30 R 153

-13.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 RON 5.73

$1.84 R 30.25

-34.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.01

$1.96 R 32.29

-24.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.67 R 27.45

-10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 RON 11.97

$2.17 R 35.70

16.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.35

$1.57 R 25.81

-54.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.05

$1.48 R 24.45

-56.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 RON 4.84

$1.30 R 21.41

-21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$1.13 R 18.60

-23.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 RON 27.68

$3.60 R 59.3

62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 RON 34.27

$6.15 R 101

17.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.65

$1.38 R 22.66

-28.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 RON 6.61

$2.14 R 35.20

-34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$1.50 R 24.65

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.82 RON 103

$60.8 R 1,001

-64.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 RON 4.61

$0.59 R 9.71

66.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.89

$1.50 R 24.65

-45.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 RON 40.18

$5.11 R 84.2

66.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.09

$1.55 R 25.50

23.87%

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

$28.8K RON 136.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-20.57%

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

$25.5K RON 120.5K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-18.51%

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

$115 RON 544

$114 R 1,883

0.61%

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

$9.38 RON 44.40

$28.91 R 476

-67.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.24 RON 57.9

$39.73 R 654

-69.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.47 RON 177

$49.01 R 808

-23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.96 RON 94.4

$10.99 R 181

81.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 RON 32.01

$9.15 R 151

-26.01%

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

$441 RON 2,088

$259 R 4,264

70.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,801 RON 32.2K

$6,794 R 111.9K

0.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 RON 351

$56.2 R 926

31.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.71 RON 150

$32.41 R 534

-2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 RON 406

$121 R 1,987

-28.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 429

$108 R 1,781

-16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 RON 1,819

$1,021 R 16.8K

-62.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 RON 805

$717 R 11.8K

-76.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,849

$1,824 R 30.1K

-66.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 RON 2,154

$1,327 R 21.9K

-65.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,854 RON 8,770

$2,391 R 39.4K

-22.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 RON 6,430

$1,542 R 25.4K

-11.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$923 RON 4,366

$1,639 R 27.0K

-43.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.02

10.97

-36.01%

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

Last update for Drobeta-Turnu Severin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$195 22.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 15.4% $30

Accommodation & Living

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$170 19.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 322% $547

Eating Out

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$166 19%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 6.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$137 15.6%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 33.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$127 14.5%

Cape Town

$143 9% 12.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$51 5.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 32% $16

Getting Around

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$30 3.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 151% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $384 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,021 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 78% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $225 – making Drobeta-Turnu Severin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

22:58 10:58 PM

1 h behind Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,617

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Drobeta-Turnu Severin Cape Town 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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

Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,313 per month in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $875 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 81%.

Public transport costs about 178% less in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Drobeta-Turnu Severin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Drobeta-Turnu Severin costs $875 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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