Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Massy and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,228 in Massy, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Massy
Learn more

Massy Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Massy

🇫🇷 France

$2,228

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Massy vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Massy $2,228
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,425 per month in Massy vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Massy $3,425
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,622 per month in Massy vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Massy $4,622
Cape Town $3,306

Massy costs about 46% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Massy and Cape Town sit above the global median – Massy by 65%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.19 €16.20

$12.01 R 198

51.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €63.5

$42.92 R 707

66.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.59 €12.10

$6.15 R 101

120.98%

Cappuccino

$4.59 €4.09

$2.37 R 39.04

93.67%

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

$3.14 €2.79

$1.27 R 20.96

147.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.94 R 15.46

145.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.66 €6.82

$2.96 R 48.77

158.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.69 R 60.8

48.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.32 R 21.73

13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.21 R 19.87

87.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.20 R 36.26

22.27%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.77

$3.10 R 51.1

36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 €19.04

$8.73 R 144

145.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.20 €11.76

$6.89 R 114

91.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.29

$9.26 R 153

146.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$1.83 R 30.08

73.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.95 R 32.12

12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.66 R 27.32

37.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 €3.85

$2.14 R 35.19

101.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.58 R 26.01

17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.47 R 24.29

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.35 R 22.18

29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 R 18.85

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 €12.67

$3.58 R 59.0

297.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 €7.98

$6.05 R 99.7

48.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.39 R 22.95

83.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.11

$2.18 R 35.90

60.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.40 R 23.02

98.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.5 €84.1

$60.8 R 1,001

55.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 €2.71

$0.93 R 15.26

227.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.90 R 14.83

56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.08 €25.90

$4.96 R 81.7

486.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.54 R 25.37

40.91%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.60%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

14.36%

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

$214 €190

$117 R 1,929

82.67%

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

$15.15 €13.49

$25.71 R 424

-41.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.88 €27.50

$39.41 R 649

-21.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 €32.20

$51.6 R 850

-29.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.45 €19.99

$11.35 R 187

97.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 €13.21

$8.89 R 146

66.93%

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

$819 €729

$308 R 5,069

166.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K €19.3K

$8,141 R 134.2K

166.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €100

$57.4 R 946

96.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 €45.93

$31.75 R 523

62.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €103

$116 R 1,911

-0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.7

$101 R 1,660

8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,058

$1,047 R 17.2K

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 €811

$669 R 11.0K

36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 €1,453

$1,861 R 30.7K

-12.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 €1,493

$1,407 R 23.2K

19.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,791 €5,156

$2,410 R 39.7K

140.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,332 €2,967

$1,570 R 25.9K

112.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,988 €2,660

$1,630 R 26.9K

83.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.89

-64.65%

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

Last update for Massy: 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

Massy

$911 40.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 26.5% $242

Groceries & Markets

Massy

$388 17.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 42.4% $165

Eating Out

Massy

$312 14%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 44.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Massy

$260 11.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 29.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Massy

$175 7.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 21.5% $38

Getting Around

Massy

$116 5.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 38% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Massy

$66 3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 5.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,188 in Massy 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 83% higher in Massy. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Massy versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Massy

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of Massy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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

Highest

Between locations

Massy Cape Town 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Massy
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

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

Massy costs about 46% 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 $3,342 per month in Massy 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 $1,188 in Massy.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,228 in Massy and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 31% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% 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 $2,228 in Massy and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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