Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melun and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,707 in Melun, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Melun despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,707

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in Melun vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Melun $1,707
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,531 per month in Melun vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Melun $2,531
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,355 per month in Melun vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Melun $3,355
Cape Town $3,306

Melun costs about 12% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melun and Cape Town sit above the global median – Melun by 26%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.69 €11.30

$12.01 R 198

5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 €47.06

$42.92 R 707

23.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.85

$6.15 R 101

116.42%

Cappuccino

$3.01 €2.68

$2.37 R 39.04

27.00%

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

$1.63 €1.45

$1.27 R 20.96

28.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.94 R 15.46

81.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.39 €6.58

$2.96 R 48.77

149.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$3.69 R 60.8

49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 R 21.73

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.21 R 19.87

62.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.20 R 36.26

29.09%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.10 R 51.1

30.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.57 €19.21

$8.73 R 144

147.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 €11.51

$6.89 R 114

87.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.37

$9.26 R 153

146.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$1.83 R 30.08

89.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.95 R 32.12

9.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.66 R 27.32

38.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.14 R 35.19

46.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.58 R 26.01

15.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.47 R 24.29

34.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.35 R 22.18

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.14 R 18.85

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 €12.56

$3.58 R 59.0

294.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 €7.62

$6.05 R 99.7

41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.39 R 22.95

71.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 €3.82

$2.18 R 35.90

96.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.40 R 23.02

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.96 €43.59

$60.8 R 1,001

-19.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.93 R 15.26

139.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.90 R 14.83

128.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.86 €21.25

$4.96 R 81.7

381.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.54 R 25.37

44.16%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.71%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$33.4K R 549.9K

13.23%

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

$200 €178

$117 R 1,929

70.90%

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

$15.26 €13.59

$25.71 R 424

-40.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 €24.48

$39.41 R 649

-30.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 €31.54

$51.6 R 850

-31.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.79

$8.89 R 146

11.02%

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

$631 €562

$308 R 5,069

105.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 €7,214

$8,141 R 134.2K

-0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.2

$57.4 R 946

49.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 €35.77

$31.75 R 523

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.4

$116 R 1,911

-13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.4

$101 R 1,660

1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 €669

$1,047 R 17.2K

-28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 €514

$669 R 11.0K

-13.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,026

$1,861 R 30.7K

-38.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 €800

$1,407 R 23.2K

-36.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,127 €3,675

$2,410 R 39.7K

71.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,168 €2,821

$1,570 R 25.9K

101.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 €2,147

$1,630 R 26.9K

47.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

10.89

-64.00%

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

Last update for Melun: 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

Melun

$577 33.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 16% $92

Groceries & Markets

Melun

$375 22%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 40.5% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melun

$243 14.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 25% $61

Eating Out

Melun

$239 14%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Melun

$148 8.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 7% $10

Getting Around

Melun

$69 4.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 3.3% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Melun

$55 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 25.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Melun 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 48% higher in Melun. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Melun versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Melun

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Melun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,367

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

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Between locations

Melun Cape Town 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melun
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

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

Melun costs about 12% 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 $2,560 per month in Melun 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 Melun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $751 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,707 in Melun and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Melun. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,707 in Melun 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 $1,707 in Melun. 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, Melun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.