Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liege and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,074 in Liege, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Liege
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Liege Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Liege

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,074

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,074 per month in Liege vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liege $2,074
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,047 per month in Liege vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liege $3,047
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,020 per month in Liege vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liege $4,020
Cape Town $3,306

Liege costs about 36% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Liege and Cape Town sit above the global median – Liege by 53%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.08

$12.01 R 197

50.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 €80.5

$42.92 R 703

110.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.45 €11.09

$6.15 R 101

102.44%

Cappuccino

$3.57 €3.18

$2.37 R 38.81

50.63%

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

$3.55 €3.17

$1.27 R 20.84

179.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.94 R 15.37

173.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.95

$2.96 R 48.48

87.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.11

$3.69 R 60.5

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.32 R 21.61

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.21 R 19.75

131.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 €3.34

$2.20 R 36.05

70.45%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$3.10 R 50.8

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.03 €16.06

$8.73 R 143

106.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.32

$6.89 R 113

68.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 €13.63

$9.26 R 152

65.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.83 R 29.90

69.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.95 R 31.94

17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.66 R 27.16

71.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.14 R 34.99

42.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.58 R 25.86

47.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.47 R 24.15

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.35 R 22.05

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.14 R 18.75

-2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 €8.31

$3.58 R 58.6

160.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.95

$6.05 R 99.2

28.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.39 R 22.82

74.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.81

$2.18 R 35.69

44.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 €2.86

$1.40 R 22.88

129.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.78 €42.57

$60.8 R 995

-21.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 €4.58

$0.93 R 15.18

452.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.26

$0.90 R 14.75

182.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.62 €14.80

$4.96 R 81.3

235.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.54 R 25.23

25.32%

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

$36.1K €32.2K

$35.4K R 579.4K

2.12%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$33.4K R 546.7K

8.56%

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

$332 €296

$117 R 1,918

183.67%

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

$25.38 €22.61

$25.71 R 421

-1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 €53.4

$39.41 R 646

51.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.78 €34.54

$51.6 R 846

-24.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.46 €20.01

$11.35 R 186

97.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 €12.58

$8.89 R 146

58.83%

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

$825 €735

$308 R 5,040

168.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.7

$57.4 R 940

46.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.74

$31.75 R 520

58.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.3

$116 R 1,900

-11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$101 R 1,650

28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €750

$1,047 R 17.1K

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 €633

$669 R 11.0K

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 €1,257

$1,861 R 30.5K

-24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €941

$1,407 R 23.1K

-24.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,833 €2,523

$2,410 R 39.5K

17.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 €1,775

$1,570 R 25.7K

26.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,759 €2,458

$1,630 R 26.7K

69.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

10.89

-66.48%

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

Last update for Liege: 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

Liege

$711 34.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 5.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liege

$417 20.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 56.3% $235

Groceries & Markets

Liege

$350 16.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 36.1% $126

Eating Out

Liege

$286 13.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Liege

$165 7.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 16.4% $27

Getting Around

Liege

$78 3.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 8.6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Liege

$67 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 3.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Liege 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 69% higher in Liege. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Liege versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Liege

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

1 h ahead of Liege

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,013

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

Liege Cape Town 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Liege
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

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

Liege costs about 36% 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 $3,111 per month in Liege 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 Liege, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $842 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,074 in Liege and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Liege. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,074 in Liege 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 $2,074 in Liege. 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, Liege makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.