Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lodz and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Lodz: $1,481 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. The total is higher in Cape Town despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
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Lodz Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,481

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,481 per month in Lodz vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lodz $1,481
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,197 per month in Lodz vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lodz $2,197
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Lodz vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lodz $2,913
Cape Town $3,306

Lodz is about 3% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Lodz and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lodz by 10%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 zł 37.03

$12.01 R 198

-21.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.62 zł 187

$42.92 R 707

10.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 zł 34.15

$6.15 R 101

41.63%

Cappuccino

$3.54 zł 13.87

$2.37 R 39.04

49.37%

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

$2.68 zł 10.50

$1.27 R 20.96

111.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 zł 10.74

$0.94 R 15.46

191.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 zł 18.34

$2.96 R 48.77

58.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 zł 19.94

$3.69 R 60.8

37.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 zł 3.75

$1.32 R 21.73

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 zł 4.32

$1.21 R 19.87

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.18

$2.20 R 36.26

-40.00%

Eggs

$3.37 zł 13.21

$3.10 R 51.1

8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 zł 41.41

$8.73 R 144

20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 zł 26.34

$6.89 R 114

-2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 zł 46.02

$9.26 R 153

26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 zł 4.65

$1.83 R 30.08

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 zł 6.49

$1.95 R 32.12

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 zł 8.91

$1.66 R 27.32

36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 zł 11.26

$2.14 R 35.19

34.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$1.58 R 26.01

-49.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.37

$1.47 R 24.29

-41.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 zł 5.20

$1.35 R 22.18

-1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 zł 2.41

$1.14 R 18.85

-45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 zł 22.88

$3.58 R 59.0

63.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 zł 25.07

$6.05 R 99.7

5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 zł 4.50

$1.39 R 22.95

-17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 zł 6.75

$2.18 R 35.90

-21.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 zł 4.27

$1.40 R 23.02

-22.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.57 zł 186

$60.8 R 1,001

-21.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 zł 6.81

$0.93 R 15.26

87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 zł 2.68

$0.90 R 14.83

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 zł 35.38

$4.96 R 81.7

82.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 zł 6.44

$1.54 R 25.37

6.49%

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

$30.1K zł 118.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-14.90%

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

$28.2K zł 110.7K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-15.39%

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

$309 zł 1,213

$117 R 1,929

164.36%

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

$8.50 zł 33.31

$25.71 R 424

-66.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 zł 67.9

$39.41 R 649

-56.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 zł 148

$51.6 R 850

-27.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 zł 70.7

$11.35 R 187

58.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 zł 31.39

$8.89 R 146

-9.90%

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

$518 zł 2,031

$308 R 5,069

68.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K zł 53.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

66.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 zł 290

$57.4 R 946

28.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.37 zł 158

$31.75 R 523

27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 zł 349

$116 R 1,911

-23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 zł 377

$101 R 1,660

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 zł 2,380

$1,047 R 17.2K

-42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 zł 1,894

$669 R 11.0K

-27.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 zł 4,431

$1,861 R 30.7K

-39.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 zł 3,480

$1,407 R 23.2K

-36.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,208 zł 12.6K

$2,410 R 39.7K

33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 zł 9,345

$1,570 R 25.9K

51.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,562 zł 6,125

$1,630 R 26.9K

-4.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

10.89

-36.91%

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

Last update for Lodz: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lodz

$483 32.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 38.5% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lodz

$335 22.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Lodz

$218 14.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 2.4% $5.3

Eating Out

Lodz

$199 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 12.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lodz

$135 9.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Lodz

$57 3.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 25.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lodz

$54 3.6%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 29.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Lodz 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 4% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Lodz versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Lodz vs $223 in Cape Town – so Lodz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Lodz

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h ahead of Lodz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

711,332

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lodz Cape Town 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lodz
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

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

Cape Town costs about 3% more than Lodz, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,222 per month in Lodz 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 Lodz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,481 in Lodz and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Lodz about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $518 per month in Lodz and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,481 in Lodz 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. Lodz costs $1,481 versus $1,527 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Lodz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.