Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mons and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,891 in Mons, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mons
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Mons Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mons

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,891

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,891 per month in Mons vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mons $1,891
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,788 per month in Mons vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mons $2,788
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,685 per month in Mons vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mons $3,685
Cape Town $3,306

Mons costs about 24% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mons and Cape Town sit above the global median – Mons by 40%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €15.03

$12.01 R 199

39.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$42.92 R 709

85.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 €8.88

$6.15 R 102

61.46%

Cappuccino

$2.52 €2.26

$2.37 R 39.16

6.33%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$1.27 R 21.03

118.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.94 R 15.50

80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.96 R 48.92

34.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.69

$3.69 R 61.0

11.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.32 R 21.80

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.21 R 19.93

87.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.20 R 36.37

-3.18%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.52

$3.10 R 51.3

26.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.49 €16.55

$8.73 R 144

111.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.84

$6.89 R 114

75.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 €17.02

$9.26 R 153

105.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.83 R 30.17

48.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.95 R 32.22

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.66 R 27.40

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.14 R 35.30

35.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.58 R 26.09

34.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.47 R 24.37

-22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.35 R 22.25

2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.14 R 18.91

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.75 €8.73

$3.58 R 59.1

172.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.96

$6.05 R 100

-8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.39 R 23.02

42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.18 R 36.01

-14.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.18 €2.84

$1.40 R 23.09

127.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 €49.88

$60.8 R 1,004

-8.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.91

$0.93 R 15.31

1090.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 €2.57

$0.90 R 14.88

218.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.8 €46.35

$4.96 R 82.0

944.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.54 R 25.45

14.29%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-1.40%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$33.4K R 551.6K

7.69%

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

$225 €201

$117 R 1,935

92.22%

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

$21.19 €18.96

$25.71 R 425

-17.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.00 €41.16

$39.41 R 651

16.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.38 €23.61

$51.6 R 853

-48.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 €17.30

$11.35 R 188

70.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 €10.97

$8.89 R 147

37.91%

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

$555 €496

$308 R 5,085

80.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K €19.0K

$8,141 R 134.6K

161.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.6

$57.4 R 948

84.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.63 €41.72

$31.75 R 525

46.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.8

$116 R 1,917

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €129

$101 R 1,665

42.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 €633

$1,047 R 17.3K

-32.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €622

$669 R 11.1K

3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 €918

$1,861 R 30.8K

-44.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €870

$1,407 R 23.3K

-30.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,137 €3,701

$2,410 R 39.8K

71.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,946 €2,636

$1,570 R 25.9K

87.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,780 €2,488

$1,630 R 26.9K

70.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

10.89

-70.62%

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

Last update for Mons: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mons

$695 36.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 3.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Mons

$337 17.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 33.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mons

$292 15.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 37.7% $110

Eating Out

Mons

$240 12.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Mons

$181 9.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 24.1% $44

Getting Around

Mons

$94 5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 23.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mons

$51 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 36.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $708 in Mons 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 71% higher in Mons. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Mons 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

🇧🇪 Mons

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h ahead of Mons

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,721

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mons
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

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

Mons costs about 24% 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 $2,836 per month in Mons 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 Mons, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $708 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,891 in Mons and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Mons. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,891 in Mons 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 $1,891 in Mons. 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, Mons makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.