Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maastricht and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,656 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,656

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,656 per month in Maastricht vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Maastricht $2,656
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,753 per month in Maastricht vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Maastricht $3,753
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,850 per month in Maastricht vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Maastricht $4,850
Cape Town $3,306

Maastricht costs about 74% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maastricht and Cape Town sit above the global median – Maastricht by 96%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 €17.57

$12.01 R 198

64.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.1

$42.92 R 707

109.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 €11.05

$6.15 R 101

101.79%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.88

$2.37 R 39.04

83.97%

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

$3.84 €3.42

$1.27 R 20.96

202.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.94 R 15.46

224.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 €7.63

$2.96 R 48.77

189.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.96

$3.69 R 60.8

50.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.32 R 21.73

-3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.21 R 19.87

99.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.20 R 36.26

18.18%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$3.10 R 51.1

47.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 €13.21

$8.73 R 144

69.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 €12.42

$6.89 R 114

102.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 €13.92

$9.26 R 153

68.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.83 R 30.08

45.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.95 R 32.12

29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.66 R 27.32

13.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 €3.98

$2.14 R 35.19

108.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.58 R 26.01

24.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.47 R 24.29

56.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.35 R 22.18

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$1.14 R 18.85

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 €12.33

$3.58 R 59.0

286.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.05

$6.05 R 99.7

12.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.39 R 22.95

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.18 R 35.90

23.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 €3.56

$1.40 R 23.02

185.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 €79.8

$60.8 R 1,001

47.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.40

$0.93 R 15.26

431.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 €3.12

$0.90 R 14.83

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.7 €60.3

$4.96 R 81.7

1264.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.54 R 25.37

53.25%

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

$41.9K €37.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

18.47%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

17.36%

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

$292 €260

$117 R 1,929

149.77%

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

$16.83 €14.99

$25.71 R 424

-34.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.19 €43.80

$39.41 R 649

24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 €37.36

$51.6 R 850

-18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 €24.83

$11.35 R 187

145.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 €13.84

$8.89 R 146

74.92%

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

$1,232 €1,097

$308 R 5,069

300.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$8,141 R 134.2K

62.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.8 €71.9

$57.4 R 946

40.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 €33.90

$31.75 R 523

19.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$116 R 1,911

-3.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$101 R 1,660

27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 €1,287

$1,047 R 17.2K

38.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 €1,130

$669 R 11.0K

89.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 €2,059

$1,861 R 30.7K

24.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 €1,581

$1,407 R 23.2K

26.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,381 €4,791

$2,410 R 39.7K

123.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,770 €3,357

$1,570 R 25.9K

140.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,369 €3,000

$1,630 R 26.9K

106.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

10.89

-59.41%

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

Last update for Maastricht: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maastricht

$1.3K 47.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 47.3% $600

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maastricht

$358 13.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Maastricht

$337 12.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 33.7% $113

Eating Out

Maastricht

$329 12.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 47.1% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Maastricht

$162 6.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 14.9% $24

Getting Around

Maastricht

$128 4.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 44% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Maastricht

$73 2.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 5% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,445 in Maastricht 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 in Maastricht are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Maastricht 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

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of Maastricht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,105

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Maastricht Cape Town 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Maastricht
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

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

Maastricht costs about 74% 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 $3,983 per month in Maastricht 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 $1,445 in Maastricht.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,656 in Maastricht and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 32% 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 $2,656 in Maastricht 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 $2,656 in Maastricht. 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, Maastricht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.