Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,081 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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Germany Living Index99Cost of Living Index in GermanyLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index74Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Germany is 38.4% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 36.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Germany is 43.4% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 27.6% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.88 €15.03
$12.01 R 198
40.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.3 €63.5
$42.92 R 707
66.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.32 €10.97
$6.15 R 101
100.33%
Cappuccino
$4.05 €3.61
$2.37 R 39.04
70.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €3.02
$1.27 R 20.96
166.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 €2.71
$0.94 R 15.46
223.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.08 €4.52
$2.96 R 48.77
71.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 €3.89
$3.69 R 60.8
18.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.32 R 21.73
0.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.21 R 19.87
76.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.55 €3.16
$2.20 R 36.26
61.36%
Eggs
$3.80 €3.38
$3.10 R 51.1
22.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.73 €13.11
$8.73 R 144
68.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.91 €10.61
$6.89 R 114
72.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.47 €18.22
$9.26 R 153
121.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 €2.80
$1.83 R 30.08
72.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.95 R 32.12
6.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.29 €2.04
$1.66 R 27.32
37.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.38 €3.90
$2.14 R 35.19
104.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.58 R 26.01
-6.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.47 R 24.29
-1.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.35 R 22.18
16.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.94
$1.14 R 18.85
-7.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.58 €8.53
$3.58 R 59.0
167.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.80 €6.06
$6.05 R 99.7
12.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.39 R 22.95
-19.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 €1.45
$2.18 R 35.90
-25.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.85 €3.43
$1.40 R 23.02
175.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.8 €62.1
$60.8 R 1,001
14.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 €4.81
$0.93 R 15.26
480.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.75 €2.45
$0.90 R 14.83
205.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.09 €35.70
$4.96 R 81.7
708.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.54 R 25.37
42.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.8K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-8.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.1K €34.9K
$33.4K R 549.9K
17.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$338 €301
$117 R 1,929
188.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.59 €21.89
$25.71 R 424
-4.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.06 €41.90
$39.41 R 649
19.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.83 €35.46
$51.6 R 850
-22.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.42 €24.41
$11.35 R 187
141.59%
Cinema Ticket
$14.66 €13.06
$8.89 R 146
64.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$623 €555
$308 R 5,069
102.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.2K €18.0K
$8,141 R 134.2K
148.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.3 €81.3
$57.4 R 946
59.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.67 €38.89
$31.75 R 523
37.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 €89.4
$116 R 1,911
-13.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 €113
$101 R 1,660
25.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$912 €812
$1,047 R 17.2K
-12.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$718 €639
$669 R 11.0K
7.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,688 €1,503
$1,861 R 30.7K
-9.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,325 €1,179
$1,407 R 23.2K
-5.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,957 €5,304
$2,410 R 39.7K
147.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,904 €3,476
$1,570 R 25.9K
148.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Germany
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,287 €2,927
$1,630 R 26.9K
101.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.96
10.89
-63.64%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Germany: October 31, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Germany $718 34.5%
Cape Town $669 43.8% 6.7% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany $409 19.7%
Cape Town $182 11.9% 55.5% $227
Groceries & Markets
Germany $337 16.2%
Cape Town $223 14.6% 33.8% $114
Eating Out
Germany $281 13.5%
Cape Town $174 11.4% 38% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Germany $163 7.8%
Cape Town $138 9% 15.6% $25
Getting Around
Germany $104 5%
Cape Town $72 4.7% 31.2% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Germany $69 3.3%
Cape Town $69 4.5% 0.3% $0.2
Accommodation & Living
Germany $1.3K 31.4%
Cape Town $1.4K 42.6% 6.2% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Germany $434 10.3%
Cape Town $208 6.3% 52.1% $226
Groceries & Markets
Germany $798 18.9%
Cape Town $518 15.7% 35% $280
Eating Out
Germany $916 21.7%
Cape Town $570 17.3% 37.8% $346
Clothing & Footwear
Germany $362 8.6%
Cape Town $306 9.3% 15.6% $56
Getting Around
Germany $216 5.1%
Cape Town $146 4.4% 32.4% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Germany $166 3.9%
Cape Town $150 4.5% 9.4% $16
Good to know
🇩🇪 Germany
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
84,358,845
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Germany Cape Town 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
- Germany
- 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.
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