Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Enschede and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,409 in Enschede, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
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Enschede Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,409

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,409 per month in Enschede vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Enschede $2,409
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Enschede vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Enschede $3,581
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,752 per month in Enschede vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Enschede $4,752
Cape Town $3,306

Enschede costs about 58% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Enschede and Cape Town sit above the global median – Enschede by 78%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 €18.79

$12.01 R 197

75.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.2

$42.92 R 703

83.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.64 €13.93

$6.15 R 101

154.31%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.64

$2.37 R 38.81

72.57%

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

$3.69 €3.28

$1.27 R 20.84

190.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$0.94 R 15.37

204.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.36

$2.96 R 48.48

103.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 €5.69

$3.69 R 60.5

73.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 R 21.61

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.21 R 19.75

99.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.20 R 36.05

21.82%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.83

$3.10 R 50.8

38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 €12.41

$8.73 R 143

59.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 €12.72

$6.89 R 113

107.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 €13.36

$9.26 R 152

61.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.83 R 29.90

53.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.95 R 31.94

15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.66 R 27.16

35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 €4.42

$2.14 R 34.99

131.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$1.58 R 25.86

89.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.47 R 24.15

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.35 R 22.05

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.14 R 18.75

-34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.68

$3.58 R 58.6

297.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.07

$6.05 R 99.2

12.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.39 R 22.82

2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.18 R 35.69

36.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.40 R 22.88

102.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$137 €122

$60.8 R 995

125.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 €4.27

$0.93 R 15.18

416.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 €3.12

$0.90 R 14.75

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.4 €60.1

$4.96 R 81.3

1259.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.54 R 25.23

62.34%

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

$42.1K €37.5K

$35.4K R 579.4K

19.19%

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

$39.9K €35.5K

$33.4K R 546.7K

19.46%

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

$282 €251

$117 R 1,918

140.50%

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

$24.50 €21.83

$25.71 R 421

-4.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 €45.90

$39.41 R 646

30.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 €32.46

$51.6 R 846

-29.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 €28.06

$11.35 R 186

177.44%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 €17.00

$8.89 R 146

114.74%

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

$2,800 €2,494

$308 R 5,040

810.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,648 €6,813

$8,141 R 133.4K

-6.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €84.8

$57.4 R 940

65.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.40 €33.31

$31.75 R 520

17.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$116 R 1,900

-8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.4

$101 R 1,650

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 €1,164

$1,047 R 17.1K

24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €880

$669 R 11.0K

47.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 €1,795

$1,861 R 30.5K

8.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 €1,473

$1,407 R 23.1K

17.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,780 €4,258

$2,410 R 39.5K

98.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,339 €2,974

$1,570 R 25.7K

112.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,796 €2,491

$1,630 R 26.7K

71.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

10.89

-57.76%

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

Last update for Enschede: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Enschede

$987 41%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 32.2% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Enschede

$358 14.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49% $175

Groceries & Markets

Enschede

$338 14%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 34% $115

Eating Out

Enschede

$334 13.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 47.9% $160

Getting Around

Enschede

$171 7.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 57.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Enschede

$147 6.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 6.1% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Enschede

$75 3.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,307 in Enschede 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 72% higher in Enschede. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Enschede versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Enschede

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h ahead of Enschede

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,235

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

Enschede Cape Town 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Enschede
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

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

Enschede costs about 58% 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 $3,613 per month in Enschede 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,307 in Enschede.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,409 in Enschede and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 37% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% 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 $2,409 in Enschede and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,409 in Enschede. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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