Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Friedrichshafen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,511 in Friedrichshafen, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
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Friedrichshafen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,511

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,511 per month in Friedrichshafen vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Friedrichshafen $2,511
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,121 per month in Friedrichshafen vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Friedrichshafen $3,121
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,731 per month in Friedrichshafen vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Friedrichshafen $3,731
Cape Town $3,306

Friedrichshafen costs about 64% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Friedrichshafen and Cape Town sit above the global median – Friedrichshafen by 86%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €15.28

$12.01 R 199

42.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.9

$42.92 R 709

69.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.10

$6.15 R 102

83.41%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.52

$2.37 R 39.16

65.82%

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

$4.06 €3.64

$1.27 R 21.03

219.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$0.94 R 15.50

202.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 €4.73

$2.96 R 48.92

78.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.49

$3.69 R 61.0

35.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.32 R 21.80

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.21 R 19.93

79.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.20 R 36.37

24.55%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.03

$3.10 R 51.3

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.48 €12.95

$8.73 R 144

65.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 €10.06

$6.89 R 114

63.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 €15.70

$9.26 R 153

89.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$1.83 R 30.17

64.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.95 R 32.22

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.66 R 27.40

29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 €3.95

$2.14 R 35.30

106.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.58 R 26.09

-10.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.47 R 24.37

-17.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.35 R 22.25

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.74

$1.14 R 18.91

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 €8.83

$3.58 R 59.1

175.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 €5.56

$6.05 R 100

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.39 R 23.02

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.18 R 36.01

-27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.40 R 23.09

97.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.3 €63.8

$60.8 R 1,004

17.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 €5.75

$0.93 R 15.31

591.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 €2.75

$0.90 R 14.88

241.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.47 €38.90

$4.96 R 82.0

776.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.54 R 25.45

36.36%

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

$33.4K €29.9K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-5.50%

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

$38.5K €34.5K

$33.4K R 551.6K

15.37%

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

$217 €194

$117 R 1,935

84.94%

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

$16.99 €15.20

$25.71 R 425

-33.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 €34.96

$39.41 R 651

-0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 €31.97

$51.6 R 853

-30.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$15.56 €13.92

$8.89 R 147

75.03%

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

$873 €781

$308 R 5,085

183.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K €19.8K

$8,141 R 134.6K

171.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 €82.6

$57.4 R 948

60.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €39.02

$31.75 R 525

37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €89.3

$116 R 1,917

-13.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$101 R 1,665

14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,279

$1,047 R 17.3K

36.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,178

$669 R 11.1K

96.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 €1,688

$1,861 R 30.8K

1.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €967

$1,407 R 23.3K

-23.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 €3,007

$1,570 R 25.9K

114.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,037 €2,717

$1,630 R 26.9K

86.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.89

-64.65%

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

Last update for Friedrichshafen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 49.2% $647

Groceries & Markets

Friedrichshafen

$311 12.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 28.3% $88

Eating Out

Friedrichshafen

$282 11.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 38.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Friedrichshafen

$273 10.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 33.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Friedrichshafen

$158 6.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.8% $20

Getting Around

Friedrichshafen

$104 4.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 31.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Friedrichshafen

$67 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 3.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,430 in Friedrichshafen 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 86% higher in Friedrichshafen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Friedrichshafen versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h ahead of Friedrichshafen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,099

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Friedrichshafen Cape Town 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Friedrichshafen
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

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

Friedrichshafen costs about 64% 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 $3,766 per month in Friedrichshafen 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 $1,430 in Friedrichshafen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,511 in Friedrichshafen and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% 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 $2,511 in Friedrichshafen and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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