Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,249 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,249

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,249 per month in Haarlem vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Haarlem $3,249
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,581 per month in Haarlem vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Haarlem $4,581
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,912 per month in Haarlem vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Haarlem $5,912
Cape Town $3,306

Haarlem costs about 113% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haarlem and Cape Town sit above the global median – Haarlem by 140%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.82 €25.66

$12.01 R 198

139.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.4

$42.92 R 707

133.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 €12.48

$6.15 R 101

127.97%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$2.37 R 39.04

75.53%

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

$4.18 €3.72

$1.27 R 20.96

229.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.88

$0.94 R 15.46

243.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 €7.07

$2.96 R 48.77

168.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 €4.90

$3.69 R 60.8

49.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.32 R 21.73

10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.21 R 19.87

139.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.20 R 36.26

20.45%

Eggs

$4.82 €4.29

$3.10 R 51.1

55.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 €12.40

$8.73 R 144

59.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.09 €11.65

$6.89 R 114

89.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.05 €18.75

$9.26 R 153

127.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.83 R 30.08

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.95 R 32.12

24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.66 R 27.32

14.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 €4.54

$2.14 R 35.19

138.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.58 R 26.01

17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.47 R 24.29

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.35 R 22.18

-9.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.14 R 18.85

-11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.35

$3.58 R 59.0

287.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.89

$6.05 R 99.7

27.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.39 R 22.95

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.18 R 35.90

12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.40 R 23.02

101.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 €72.6

$60.8 R 1,001

34.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 €4.27

$0.93 R 15.26

415.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.66 €3.25

$0.90 R 14.83

306.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.4 €59.2

$4.96 R 81.7

1239.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.54 R 25.37

61.04%

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

$41.6K €37.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

17.76%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

17.74%

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

$250 €223

$117 R 1,929

113.72%

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

$23.41 €20.84

$25.71 R 424

-8.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 €54.3

$39.41 R 649

54.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.54

$51.6 R 850

5.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.04 €24.96

$11.35 R 187

147.05%

Cinema Ticket

$16.11 €14.34

$8.89 R 146

81.21%

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

$2,592 €2,308

$308 R 5,069

742.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,250 €6,456

$8,141 R 134.2K

-10.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.5

$57.4 R 946

49.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 €56.2

$31.75 R 523

98.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €88.9

$116 R 1,911

-13.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €133

$101 R 1,660

48.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 €1,810

$1,047 R 17.2K

94.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,769 €1,575

$669 R 11.0K

164.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 €2,869

$1,861 R 30.7K

73.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 €2,260

$1,407 R 23.2K

80.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,707 €6,862

$2,410 R 39.7K

219.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,768 €5,135

$1,570 R 25.9K

267.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,131 €3,678

$1,630 R 26.9K

153.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

10.89

-65.11%

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

Last update for Haarlem: 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

Haarlem

$1.8K 54.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 62.2% $1.1K

Eating Out

Haarlem

$403 12.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 56.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$361 11.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.1% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$335 10.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$179 5.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 23.3% $42

Getting Around

Haarlem

$116 3.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 38.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$87 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 20% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,032 in Haarlem 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 in Haarlem are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Haarlem versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

1 h ahead of Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

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

Haarlem Cape Town 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Haarlem
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

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

Haarlem costs about 113% 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 $4,874 per month in Haarlem 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 $2,032 in Haarlem.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,249 in Haarlem and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% 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 $3,249 in Haarlem 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 $3,249 in Haarlem. 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, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.