Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,944 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
Learn more

Hilversum Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,944

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,944 per month in Hilversum vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hilversum $2,944
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,283 per month in Hilversum vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hilversum $4,283
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,623 per month in Hilversum vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hilversum $5,623
Cape Town $3,306

Hilversum costs about 93% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hilversum and Cape Town sit above the global median – Hilversum by 118%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.72 €24.68

$12.01 R 198

130.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.8

$42.92 R 707

85.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.57 €14.75

$6.15 R 101

169.43%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.85

$2.37 R 39.04

82.28%

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

$3.96 €3.53

$1.27 R 20.96

211.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.94 R 15.46

224.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.83

$2.96 R 48.77

83.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.02

$3.69 R 60.8

52.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.32 R 21.73

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.21 R 19.87

80.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$2.20 R 36.26

38.64%

Eggs

$5.10 €4.54

$3.10 R 51.1

64.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 €12.36

$8.73 R 144

58.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 €12.84

$6.89 R 114

109.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.73 €14.89

$9.26 R 153

80.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.83 R 30.08

38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.95 R 32.12

36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.66 R 27.32

24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 €4.05

$2.14 R 35.19

112.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.58 R 26.01

17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.47 R 24.29

40.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.35 R 22.18

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.14 R 18.85

2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.39 €11.04

$3.58 R 59.0

246.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$6.05 R 99.7

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.39 R 22.95

8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.18 R 35.90

23.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.26

$1.40 R 23.02

161.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 €59.2

$60.8 R 1,001

9.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 €4.97

$0.93 R 15.26

500.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$0.90 R 14.83

274.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.01 €19.60

$4.96 R 81.7

343.75%

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)

$41.1K €36.6K

$35.4K R 582.8K

16.35%

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

$42.7K €38.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

27.83%

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

$270 €241

$117 R 1,929

130.83%

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

$29.11 €25.92

$25.71 R 424

13.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 €56.2

$39.41 R 649

60.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 €60.8

$51.6 R 850

32.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.65 €29.96

$11.35 R 187

196.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.93 €15.08

$8.89 R 146

90.44%

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

$702 €625

$308 R 5,069

128.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K €13.8K

$8,141 R 134.2K

90.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.5

$57.4 R 946

90.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.26 €42.97

$31.75 R 523

52.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 €79.9

$116 R 1,911

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €127

$101 R 1,660

41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 €1,516

$1,047 R 17.2K

62.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,299

$669 R 11.0K

118.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 €2,465

$1,861 R 30.7K

48.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 €2,106

$1,407 R 23.2K

68.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,846 €6,096

$2,410 R 39.7K

184.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,234 €4,660

$1,570 R 25.9K

233.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,902 €3,474

$1,630 R 26.9K

139.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

10.89

-60.51%

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

Last update for Hilversum: 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

Hilversum

$1.5K 49.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 54.1% $790

Eating Out

Hilversum

$390 13.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 55.3% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$362 12.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$352 11.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 36.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$175 6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 21.5% $38

Getting Around

Hilversum

$104 3.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 30.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$102 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 32.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,702 in Hilversum 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 Hilversum are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Hilversum versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h ahead of Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hilversum Cape Town 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilversum
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

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

Hilversum costs about 93% 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 $4,416 per month in Hilversum 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 $1,702 in Hilversum.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,944 in Hilversum and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% 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 $2,944 in Hilversum and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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