Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,723 in Lelystad, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Lelystad despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,723

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Lelystad vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lelystad $1,723
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,681 per month in Lelystad vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lelystad $2,681
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,638 per month in Lelystad vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lelystad $3,638
Cape Town $3,306

Lelystad costs about 13% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lelystad and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lelystad by 27%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.85 €20.35

$12.01 R 197

90.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €76.0

$42.92 R 703

98.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.87

$6.15 R 101

116.75%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.37 R 38.81

71.31%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$1.27 R 20.84

103.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.94 R 15.37

144.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.96 R 48.48

84.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.01

$3.69 R 60.5

21.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.32 R 21.61

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.21 R 19.75

31.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.20 R 36.05

12.73%

Eggs

$4.44 €3.95

$3.10 R 50.8

43.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 €6.06

$8.73 R 143

-21.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.18 €12.63

$6.89 R 113

105.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 €14.74

$9.26 R 152

78.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.83 R 29.90

20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.95 R 31.94

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.66 R 27.16

12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 €3.06

$2.14 R 34.99

60.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.58 R 25.86

8.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 R 24.15

18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.35 R 22.05

-8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 R 18.75

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 €8.55

$3.58 R 58.6

168.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €5.98

$6.05 R 99.2

10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.39 R 22.82

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.18 R 35.69

13.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 €101

$60.8 R 995

87.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.69

$0.93 R 15.18

345.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.44

$0.90 R 14.75

203.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.52 €23.62

$4.96 R 81.3

434.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.54 R 25.23

39.61%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-4.76%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$33.4K R 546.7K

14.23%

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

$246 €219

$117 R 1,918

110.40%

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

$14.49 €12.91

$25.71 R 421

-43.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.89 €29.30

$39.41 R 646

-16.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.13 €37.53

$51.6 R 846

-18.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$13.69 €12.20

$8.89 R 146

53.99%

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

$2,798 €2,493

$308 R 5,040

809.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 €6,883

$8,141 R 133.4K

-5.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €84.8

$57.4 R 940

65.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 €42.32

$31.75 R 520

49.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 €83.5

$116 R 1,900

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$101 R 1,650

15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 €603

$1,047 R 17.1K

-35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €398

$669 R 11.0K

-33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,205

$1,861 R 30.5K

-27.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 €695

$1,407 R 23.1K

-44.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,580 €2,298

$1,630 R 26.7K

58.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

10.89

-70.98%

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

Last update for Lelystad: 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

Lelystad

$447 25.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 49.8% $222

Eating Out

Lelystad

$327 19%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 46.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$295 17.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 24.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$294 17.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 38% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$159 9.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 13.4% $21

Getting Around

Lelystad

$132 * 7.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 45.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$70 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 0.2% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Lelystad 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 58% higher in Lelystad. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Lelystad versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

1 h ahead of Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

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

Lelystad Cape Town 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

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

Lelystad costs about 13% 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 $2,585 per month in Lelystad 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 Lelystad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $677 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Lelystad and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 47% 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 $1,723 in Lelystad 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 $1,723 in Lelystad. 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, Lelystad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.