Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krefeld and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,908 in Krefeld, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Krefeld
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Krefeld Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Krefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,908

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,908 per month in Krefeld vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Krefeld $1,908
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,940 per month in Krefeld vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Krefeld $2,940
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,972 per month in Krefeld vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Krefeld $3,972
Cape Town $3,306

Krefeld costs about 25% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Krefeld and Cape Town sit above the global median – Krefeld by 41%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.48 €14.68

$12.01 R 197

37.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.1 €64.3

$42.92 R 703

68.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 €11.47

$6.15 R 101

109.27%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$2.37 R 38.81

75.53%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$1.27 R 20.84

200.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.77

$0.94 R 15.37

229.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 €5.04

$2.96 R 48.48

91.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$3.69 R 60.5

53.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 R 21.61

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.21 R 19.75

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.20 R 36.05

66.82%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.29

$3.10 R 50.8

19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.84

$8.73 R 143

52.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.79

$6.89 R 113

75.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.23 €20.69

$9.26 R 152

150.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.74

$1.83 R 29.90

67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.95 R 31.94

-1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.66 R 27.16

45.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.74

$2.14 R 34.99

96.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.58 R 25.86

-8.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.47 R 24.15

-21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.35 R 22.05

25.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.14 R 18.75

-11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 €8.51

$3.58 R 58.6

166.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.05 R 99.2

8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.39 R 22.82

-23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.18 R 35.69

-29.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.40 R 22.88

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 €52.7

$60.8 R 995

-2.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 €4.60

$0.93 R 15.18

455.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.90 R 14.75

155.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.10 €30.37

$4.96 R 81.3

587.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 R 25.23

48.05%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-5.44%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

15.89%

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

$304 €271

$117 R 1,918

159.49%

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

$25.78 €22.97

$25.71 R 421

0.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.82 €36.36

$39.41 R 646

3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.96 €36.49

$51.6 R 846

-20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.81 €22.99

$11.35 R 186

127.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.82

$8.89 R 146

49.27%

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

$469 €418

$308 R 5,040

52.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K €19.7K

$8,141 R 133.4K

171.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €79.6

$57.4 R 940

55.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.18 €36.68

$31.75 R 520

29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$116 R 1,900

-8.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$101 R 1,650

27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 €650

$1,047 R 17.1K

-30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 €526

$669 R 11.0K

-11.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 €1,223

$1,861 R 30.5K

-26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,008

$1,407 R 23.1K

-19.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,242 €2,888

$2,410 R 39.5K

34.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,435 €3,951

$1,570 R 25.7K

182.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,993 €1,775

$1,630 R 26.7K

22.29%

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 Krefeld: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krefeld

$591 31%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 13.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krefeld

$370 19.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 50.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Krefeld

$337 17.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 33.8% $114

Eating Out

Krefeld

$288 15.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Krefeld

$164 8.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 16.3% $27

Getting Around

Krefeld

$89 4.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 19.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Krefeld

$68 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $730 in Krefeld 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 22% higher in Krefeld, 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 $72 in Krefeld versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Krefeld

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Krefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,058

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Krefeld Cape Town 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Krefeld
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

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

Krefeld costs about 25% 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 $2,861 per month in Krefeld 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 Krefeld, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,908 in Krefeld and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Krefeld. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,908 in Krefeld 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 $1,908 in Krefeld. 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, Krefeld makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.