Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempten and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,977 in Kempten, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kempten, Germany
Cape Town, South Africa
Kempten
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,977
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Kempten vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Kempten $1,977
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,950 per month in Kempten vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Kempten $2,950
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,924 per month in Kempten vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Kempten $3,924
  • Cape Town $3,306

Kempten costs about 29% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kempten and Cape Town sit above the global median – Kempten by 46%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.69 €15.75
$12.01 R 198
47.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.0 €49.85
$42.92 R 707
30.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.73 €8.66
$6.15 R 101
58.21%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.62
$2.37 R 39.04
71.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 €2.48
$1.27 R 20.96
119.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$0.94 R 15.46
151.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.87 €4.33
$2.96 R 48.77
64.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 €3.05
$3.69 R 60.8
-7.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.32 R 21.73
-3.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 €2.03
$1.21 R 19.87
89.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.11 €2.77
$2.20 R 36.26
41.36%
Eggs
$4.37 €3.89
$3.10 R 51.1
40.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.66 €14.84
$8.73 R 144
90.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.67 €11.28
$6.89 R 114
83.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.81 €14.97
$9.26 R 153
81.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.18
$1.83 R 30.08
33.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.95 R 32.12
-27.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.66 R 27.32
-4.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.10 €3.65
$2.14 R 35.19
91.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 €1.50
$1.58 R 26.01
6.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.47 R 24.29
9.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.35 R 22.18
8.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$1.14 R 18.85
-52.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.05 €8.06
$3.58 R 59.0
152.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.51 €4.91
$6.05 R 99.7
-8.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.39 R 22.95
-21.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.97
$2.18 R 35.90
-50.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 €2.80
$1.40 R 23.02
125.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.6 €53.9
$60.8 R 1,001
-0.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 €4.24
$0.93 R 15.26
411.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.87 €2.55
$0.90 R 14.83
218.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 €35.43
$4.96 R 81.7
702.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.10 €1.87
$1.54 R 25.37
36.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K €29.8K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-5.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K €29.4K
$33.4K R 549.9K
-1.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$312 €278
$117 R 1,929
166.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.72 €15.78
$25.71 R 424
-31.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.47 €38.70
$39.41 R 649
10.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.1 €49.95
$51.6 R 850
8.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.35 €23.46
$11.35 R 187
132.16%
Cinema Ticket
$13.08 €11.65
$8.89 R 146
47.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$318 €283
$308 R 5,069
3.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.2K €19.8K
$8,141 R 134.2K
172.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.4 €71.6
$57.4 R 946
40.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.26 €38.52
$31.75 R 523
36.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 €85.5
$116 R 1,911
-17.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 €124
$101 R 1,660
38.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$894 €796
$1,047 R 17.2K
-14.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$680 €605
$669 R 11.0K
1.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,544 €1,375
$1,861 R 30.7K
-17.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,213 €1,080
$1,407 R 23.2K
-13.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,054 €5,390
$2,410 R 39.7K
151.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,882 €4,347
$1,570 R 25.9K
211.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kempten
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,872 €3,448
$1,630 R 26.9K
137.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.6
10.89
-76.12%

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

Last update for Kempten: 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
Kempten
$680
Cape Town
$669 1.6% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempten
$374
Cape Town
$182 51.2% $191
Groceries & Markets
Kempten
$316
Cape Town
$223 29.4% $93
Eating Out
Kempten
$271
Cape Town
$174 35.8% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Kempten
$161
Cape Town
$138 14.8% $24
Getting Around
Kempten
$92
Cape Town
$72 22.2% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Kempten
$82
Cape Town
$69 15.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $894 in Kempten 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 Kempten are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Kempten versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Kempten
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
16:21 4:21 PM
17:21 5:21 PM
1 h ahead of Kempten
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,399
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kempten Cape Town 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kempten
  • 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
Kempten vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kempten or Cape Town?
Kempten costs about 29% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kempten and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,965 per month in Kempten and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kempten or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kempten, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $894 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Kempten compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,977 in Kempten and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 23% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Kempten and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $318 per month in Kempten and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Kempten or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,977 in Kempten and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kempten or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,977 in Kempten. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Kempten or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kempten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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