Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,951 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
Learn more

Montpellier Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,951

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,951 per month in Montpellier vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montpellier $1,951
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,973 per month in Montpellier vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montpellier $2,973
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,994 per month in Montpellier vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montpellier $3,994
Cape Town $3,306

Montpellier costs about 28% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montpellier and Cape Town sit above the global median – Montpellier by 44%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 €14.92

$12.01 R 197

39.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.9

$42.92 R 703

72.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.09

$6.15 R 101

120.81%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$2.37 R 38.81

61.18%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$1.27 R 20.84

130.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.94 R 15.37

115.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$2.96 R 48.48

90.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.97

$3.69 R 60.5

20.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.32 R 21.61

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.21 R 19.75

85.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.20 R 36.05

23.64%

Eggs

$3.76 €3.35

$3.10 R 50.8

21.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.44 €16.43

$8.73 R 143

111.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.03 €12.50

$6.89 R 113

103.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.11 €22.37

$9.26 R 152

171.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.83 R 29.90

63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.95 R 31.94

24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.66 R 27.16

72.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 €3.50

$2.14 R 34.99

83.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.58 R 25.86

52.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$1.47 R 24.15

102.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.35 R 22.05

23.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.14 R 18.75

-43.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.01 €12.48

$3.58 R 58.6

291.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 €6.65

$6.05 R 99.2

23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.18

$1.39 R 22.82

156.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.18 R 35.69

21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.40 R 22.88

49.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.18 €1.94

$60.8 R 995

-96.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 €3.33

$0.93 R 15.18

302.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.90 R 14.75

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.32 €32.35

$4.96 R 81.3

632.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.54 R 25.23

46.75%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-2.28%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$33.4K R 546.7K

17.43%

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

$221 €197

$117 R 1,918

89.13%

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

$16.54 €14.73

$25.71 R 421

-35.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.50 €28.95

$39.41 R 646

-17.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.90 €31.98

$51.6 R 846

-30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.22 €12.67

$11.35 R 186

25.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 €12.54

$8.89 R 146

58.38%

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

$738 €657

$308 R 5,040

139.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$8,141 R 133.4K

38.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €78.5

$57.4 R 940

53.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 €57.8

$31.75 R 520

104.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$116 R 1,900

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 €161

$101 R 1,650

79.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 €788

$1,047 R 17.1K

-15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 €653

$669 R 11.0K

9.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,462

$1,861 R 30.5K

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,105

$1,407 R 23.1K

-11.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,075 €4,521

$2,410 R 39.5K

110.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,169

$1,570 R 25.7K

126.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,897 €2,581

$1,630 R 26.7K

77.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

10.89

-65.01%

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

Last update for Montpellier: 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

Montpellier

$733 37.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 8.7% $64

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$389 19.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 42.6% $165

Eating Out

Montpellier

$277 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$270 13.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 32.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$198 10.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 30.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$64 3.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 8.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Montpellier

$20 1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 254% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Montpellier 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 78% higher in Montpellier. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Montpellier versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h ahead of Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montpellier Cape Town 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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

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

Montpellier costs about 28% 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 $2,927 per month in Montpellier 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 Montpellier, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $885 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,951 in Montpellier and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 96% less in Montpellier. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,951 in Montpellier 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 $1,951 in Montpellier. 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, Montpellier makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.