Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hengelo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,177 in Hengelo, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,177

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,177 per month in Hengelo vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hengelo $2,177
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,515 per month in Hengelo vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hengelo $3,515
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,853 per month in Hengelo vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hengelo $4,853
Cape Town $3,306

Hengelo costs about 43% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hengelo and Cape Town sit above the global median – Hengelo by 61%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 €20.18

$12.01 R 198

88.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 €73.7

$42.92 R 707

92.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.87

$6.15 R 101

116.75%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.59

$2.37 R 39.04

70.04%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$1.27 R 20.96

192.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$0.94 R 15.46

212.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 €5.39

$2.96 R 48.77

104.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 €5.78

$3.69 R 60.8

75.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.32 R 21.73

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.21 R 19.87

106.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.20 R 36.26

25.00%

Eggs

$4.52 €4.03

$3.10 R 51.1

45.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.72 €12.21

$8.73 R 144

57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.19 €12.64

$6.89 R 114

105.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.12

$9.26 R 153

59.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.83 R 30.08

51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.95 R 32.12

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.66 R 27.32

27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 €3.35

$2.14 R 35.19

75.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.58 R 26.01

19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.47 R 24.29

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.35 R 22.18

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.14 R 18.85

-37.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.30

$3.58 R 59.0

285.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.75 €6.01

$6.05 R 99.7

11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.39 R 22.95

-3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.18 R 35.90

27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.94 €4.40

$1.40 R 23.02

252.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 €78.5

$60.8 R 1,001

45.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 €3.27

$0.93 R 15.26

294.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 €2.35

$0.90 R 14.83

193.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.74 €40.72

$4.96 R 81.7

822.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.54 R 25.37

62.34%

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

$42.0K €37.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

18.81%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

17.93%

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

$265 €236

$117 R 1,929

126.44%

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

$21.18 €18.86

$25.71 R 424

-17.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 €43.07

$39.41 R 649

22.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.45 €27.12

$51.6 R 850

-41.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.21 €21.56

$11.35 R 187

113.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.64 €13.92

$8.89 R 146

75.93%

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

$1,793 €1,597

$308 R 5,069

482.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,947 €7,076

$8,141 R 134.2K

-2.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.0

$57.4 R 946

64.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 €39.94

$31.75 R 523

41.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 €84.8

$116 R 1,911

-17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$101 R 1,660

25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 €1,163

$1,047 R 17.2K

24.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 €736

$669 R 11.0K

23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 €2,044

$1,861 R 30.7K

23.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 €1,651

$1,407 R 23.2K

31.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,699 €5,074

$2,410 R 39.7K

136.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,379 €3,899

$1,570 R 25.9K

178.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,640 €2,351

$1,630 R 26.9K

62.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

10.89

-61.43%

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

Last update for Hengelo: 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

Hengelo

$827 38%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 19.1% $158

Eating Out

Hengelo

$340 15.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 48.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hengelo

$335 15.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.6% $152

Groceries & Markets

Hengelo

$327 15%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Hengelo

$162 7.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 15.3% $25

Getting Around

Hengelo

$125 5.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 42.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Hengelo

$62 2.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 12.4% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,306 in Hengelo 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 62% higher in Hengelo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Hengelo versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

1 h ahead of Hengelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,140

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 = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hengelo Cape Town 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hengelo
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

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

Hengelo costs about 43% 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 $3,266 per month in Hengelo 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 $1,306 in Hengelo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,177 in Hengelo and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% 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 $2,177 in Hengelo 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 $2,177 in Hengelo. 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, Hengelo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.