Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamm and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,110 in Hamm, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Hamm
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Hamm Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Hamm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,110

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Hamm vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hamm $2,110
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,020 per month in Hamm vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hamm $3,020
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Hamm vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hamm $3,931
Cape Town $3,306

Hamm costs about 38% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hamm and Cape Town sit above the global median – Hamm by 56%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 €11.73

$12.01 R 197

9.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$42.92 R 704

56.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.09 €16.10

$6.15 R 101

194.15%

Cappuccino

$4.34 €3.86

$2.37 R 38.87

83.12%

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

$2.84 €2.53

$1.27 R 20.87

123.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$0.94 R 15.39

161.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.96 R 48.55

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.45

$3.69 R 60.5

5.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.32 R 21.64

-9.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.21 R 19.78

68.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 €3.47

$2.20 R 36.10

77.27%

Eggs

$3.55 €3.16

$3.10 R 50.9

14.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 €12.86

$8.73 R 143

65.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 €9.25

$6.89 R 113

50.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.71 €17.54

$9.26 R 152

112.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.83 R 29.94

78.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.95 R 31.99

14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.66 R 27.20

42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 €3.80

$2.14 R 35.04

99.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.58 R 25.90

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.47 R 24.19

-17.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.35 R 22.08

29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.14 R 18.77

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.92 €7.93

$3.58 R 58.7

149.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 €6.00

$6.05 R 99.3

11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.39 R 22.85

-23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.18 R 35.75

-38.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 €2.87

$1.40 R 22.92

130.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 €53.8

$60.8 R 997

-0.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 €4.40

$0.93 R 15.20

432.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.90 R 14.77

154.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.13 €29.48

$4.96 R 81.4

567.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.54 R 25.26

39.61%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$35.4K R 580.2K

-6.10%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$33.4K R 547.5K

13.16%

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

$460 €409

$117 R 1,921

292.90%

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

$26.16 €23.28

$25.71 R 422

1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.56 €36.10

$39.41 R 647

2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 €35.48

$51.6 R 847

-22.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.16 €24.17

$11.35 R 186

139.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.96

$8.89 R 146

51.18%

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

$165 €147

$308 R 5,047

-46.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K €23.2K

$8,141 R 133.6K

219.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 €87.2

$57.4 R 941

70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.20 €43.78

$31.75 R 521

54.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100.0

$116 R 1,903

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 €175

$101 R 1,652

95.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$839 €747

$1,047 R 17.2K

-19.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 €571

$669 R 11.0K

-4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 €1,444

$1,861 R 30.5K

-12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €863

$1,407 R 23.1K

-31.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,205 €4,632

$2,410 R 39.5K

115.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,985 €2,656

$1,570 R 25.8K

90.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 €1,813

$1,630 R 26.7K

25.00%

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 Hamm: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamm

$642 30.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 4.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamm

$527 25%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 65.4% $345

Groceries & Markets

Hamm

$325 15.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.3% $102

Eating Out

Hamm

$255 12.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 31.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Hamm

$205 9.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 33% $68

Getting Around

Hamm

$90 4.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 20.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Hamm

$67 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $839 in Hamm 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 25% higher in Hamm, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Hamm versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamm

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h ahead of Hamm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamm Cape Town 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamm
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

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

Hamm costs about 38% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,165 per month in Hamm 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 Hamm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $839 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,110 in Hamm and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $165 per month in Hamm and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,110 in Hamm and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,110 in Hamm. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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