Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,332 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,332

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,332 per month in Groningen vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Groningen $2,332
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Groningen vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Groningen $3,537
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,741 per month in Groningen vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Groningen $4,741
Cape Town $3,306

Groningen costs about 53% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Groningen and Cape Town sit above the global median – Groningen by 72%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 €18.05

$12.01 R 198

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.1

$42.92 R 707

138.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.48 €13.78

$6.15 R 101

151.71%

Cappuccino

$4.64 €4.14

$2.37 R 39.04

95.78%

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

$3.81 €3.40

$1.27 R 20.96

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.87

$0.94 R 15.46

243.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.09

$2.96 R 48.77

93.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.04

$3.69 R 60.8

53.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.32 R 21.73

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.21 R 19.87

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.20 R 36.26

15.91%

Eggs

$4.69 €4.18

$3.10 R 51.1

51.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 €11.44

$8.73 R 144

47.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$6.89 R 114

91.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 €16.42

$9.26 R 153

99.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.83 R 30.08

60.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.95 R 32.12

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.66 R 27.32

53.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 €4.17

$2.14 R 35.19

119.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.58 R 26.01

25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.47 R 24.29

10.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.35 R 22.18

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.14 R 18.85

6.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.49 €12.90

$3.58 R 59.0

304.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.05 R 99.7

8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.39 R 22.95

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.18 R 35.90

11.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.18 €3.72

$1.40 R 23.02

198.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 €59.1

$60.8 R 1,001

9.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 €4.20

$0.93 R 15.26

406.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.57 €3.18

$0.90 R 14.83

296.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.9 €59.6

$4.96 R 81.7

1248.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.54 R 25.37

62.99%

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

$40.6K €36.2K

$35.4K R 582.8K

14.86%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$33.4K R 549.9K

16.25%

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

$226 €202

$117 R 1,929

93.35%

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

$21.00 €18.70

$25.71 R 424

-18.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.65 €43.32

$39.41 R 649

23.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.14 €34.85

$51.6 R 850

-24.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.81 €13.19

$11.35 R 187

30.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.83 €14.99

$8.89 R 146

89.31%

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

$2,352 €2,094

$308 R 5,069

664.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,172 €5,496

$8,141 R 134.2K

-24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €95.8

$57.4 R 946

87.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 €39.24

$31.75 R 523

38.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$116 R 1,911

-10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €175

$101 R 1,660

94.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 €1,268

$1,047 R 17.2K

36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €869

$669 R 11.0K

45.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 €1,869

$1,861 R 30.7K

12.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 €1,421

$1,407 R 23.2K

13.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,385 €4,795

$2,410 R 39.7K

123.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,878 €3,453

$1,570 R 25.9K

147.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,050 €2,716

$1,630 R 26.9K

87.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

10.89

-68.50%

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

Last update for Groningen: 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

Groningen

$976 41.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 31.4% $307

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 14.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 35.6% $123

Eating Out

Groningen

$332 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 47.6% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$296 12.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 38.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$203 8.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 32.2% $65

Getting Around

Groningen

$106 4.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 32% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$73 3.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,424 in Groningen 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 87% higher in Groningen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Groningen versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Groningen Cape Town 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Groningen
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

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

Groningen costs about 53% 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 $3,498 per month in Groningen 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 $1,424 in Groningen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,332 in Groningen and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 8% 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 $2,332 in Groningen 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 $2,332 in Groningen. 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, Groningen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.