Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeuwarden and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,581 in Leeuwarden, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
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Leeuwarden Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,581

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,581 per month in Leeuwarden vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leeuwarden $2,581
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Leeuwarden vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leeuwarden $3,801
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,020 per month in Leeuwarden vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leeuwarden $5,020
Cape Town $3,306

Leeuwarden costs about 69% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Leeuwarden and Cape Town sit above the global median – Leeuwarden by 91%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.24

$12.01 R 199

88.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €102

$42.92 R 709

164.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.71 €14.06

$6.15 R 102

155.45%

Cappuccino

$3.77 €3.38

$2.37 R 39.16

59.07%

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

$3.62 €3.24

$1.27 R 21.03

185.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.55

$0.94 R 15.50

203.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.89

$2.96 R 48.92

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.62

$3.69 R 61.0

39.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.32 R 21.80

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.21 R 19.93

57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.20 R 36.37

9.55%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.78

$3.10 R 51.3

36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 €11.15

$8.73 R 144

42.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.59 €13.06

$6.89 R 114

111.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 €14.23

$9.26 R 153

71.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.83 R 30.17

30.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.95 R 32.22

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.66 R 27.40

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 €4.66

$2.14 R 35.30

143.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.58 R 26.09

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.47 R 24.37

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.35 R 22.25

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$1.14 R 18.91

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.01 €12.54

$3.58 R 59.1

291.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 €6.16

$6.05 R 100

13.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.39 R 23.02

29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$2.18 R 36.01

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 €3.03

$1.40 R 23.09

141.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 €117

$60.8 R 1,004

114.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 €7.79

$0.93 R 15.31

836.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.90 €3.49

$0.90 R 14.88

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.59 €44.37

$4.96 R 82.0

899.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.54 R 25.45

53.25%

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

$40.7K €36.4K

$35.4K R 584.6K

15.04%

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

$39.3K €35.2K

$33.4K R 551.6K

17.77%

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

$366 €327

$117 R 1,935

212.51%

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

$42.96 €38.44

$25.71 R 425

67.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.70 €40.89

$39.41 R 651

15.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.29 €33.37

$51.6 R 853

-27.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 €16.56

$11.35 R 188

63.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.67 €14.92

$8.89 R 147

87.51%

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

$1,343 €1,202

$308 R 5,085

336.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K €19.7K

$8,141 R 134.6K

170.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$57.4 R 948

96.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 €35.37

$31.75 R 525

24.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 €116

$116 R 1,917

11.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$101 R 1,665

32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,225

$1,047 R 17.3K

30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €920

$669 R 11.1K

53.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,773 €3,376

$1,861 R 30.8K

102.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,404

$1,407 R 23.3K

11.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 €3,218

$2,410 R 39.8K

49.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,238 €2,897

$1,570 R 25.9K

106.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,941 €2,632

$1,630 R 26.9K

80.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

10.89

-59.78%

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

Last update for Leeuwarden: 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

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 34.9% $359

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeuwarden

$455 17.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 59.9% $272

Eating Out

Leeuwarden

$343 13.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 49.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Leeuwarden

$327 12.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Leeuwarden

$187 7.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 26.3% $49

Getting Around

Leeuwarden

$172 6.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 58.3% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Leeuwarden

$71 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,369 in Leeuwarden 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 80% higher in Leeuwarden. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Leeuwarden 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

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h ahead of Leeuwarden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,992

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leeuwarden Cape Town 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Leeuwarden
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

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

Leeuwarden costs about 69% 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 $3,872 per month in Leeuwarden 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 $1,369 in Leeuwarden.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,581 in Leeuwarden and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% 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 $2,581 in Leeuwarden 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 $2,581 in Leeuwarden. 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, Leeuwarden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.