Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,143 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,143

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,143 per month in Mortsel vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mortsel $2,143
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,169 per month in Mortsel vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mortsel $3,169
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,196 per month in Mortsel vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mortsel $4,196
Cape Town $3,306

Mortsel costs about 40% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mortsel and Cape Town sit above the global median – Mortsel by 58%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €20.01

$12.01 R 197

87.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.6 €84.2

$42.92 R 703

120.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.06

$6.15 R 101

120.16%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.85

$2.37 R 38.81

82.70%

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

$3.41 €3.03

$1.27 R 20.84

168.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.59

$0.94 R 15.37

209.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.89

$2.96 R 48.48

85.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.69 R 60.5

48.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.32 R 21.61

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.21 R 19.75

124.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.20 R 36.05

1.36%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.57

$3.10 R 50.8

29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.18 €14.41

$8.73 R 143

85.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 €10.44

$6.89 R 113

70.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.85 €20.36

$9.26 R 152

146.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.83 R 29.90

55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.95 R 31.94

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.66 R 27.16

56.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.14 R 34.99

30.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.58 R 25.86

38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.47 R 24.15

23.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.35 R 22.05

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.14 R 18.75

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.88

$3.58 R 58.6

272.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.80 €7.84

$6.05 R 99.2

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.39 R 22.82

37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.18 R 35.69

0.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.40 R 22.88

122.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 €47.96

$60.8 R 995

-11.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.01

$0.93 R 15.18

504.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.90 R 14.75

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.46 €39.61

$4.96 R 81.3

796.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.54 R 25.23

37.66%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.4K R 579.4K

0.41%

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

$36.7K €32.7K

$33.4K R 546.7K

10.12%

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

$221 €197

$117 R 1,918

88.43%

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

$21.09 €18.79

$25.71 R 421

-17.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.16 €42.90

$39.41 R 646

22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.01 €32.97

$51.6 R 846

-28.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 €17.40

$11.35 R 186

72.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.97

$8.89 R 146

76.38%

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

$556 €495

$308 R 5,040

80.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K €18.9K

$8,141 R 133.4K

161.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$57.4 R 940

98.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 €42.01

$31.75 R 520

48.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.4

$116 R 1,900

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$101 R 1,650

47.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 €812

$1,047 R 17.1K

-12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 €733

$669 R 11.0K

22.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 €1,225

$1,861 R 30.5K

-26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,023

$1,407 R 23.1K

-18.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 €3,764

$2,410 R 39.5K

75.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,884 €2,569

$1,570 R 25.7K

83.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 €2,106

$1,630 R 26.7K

45.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.89

-67.86%

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

Last update for Mortsel: 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

Mortsel

$822 38.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 18.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$354 16.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 37% $131

Eating Out

Mortsel

$336 15.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 48.2% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$290 13.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 37.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 26.4% $49

Getting Around

Mortsel

$85 4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 15.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$68 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 1.5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $911 in Mortsel 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 45% higher in Mortsel. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Mortsel versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h ahead of Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

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

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Between locations

Mortsel Cape Town 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

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

Mortsel costs about 40% 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 $3,214 per month in Mortsel 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 Mortsel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $911 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,143 in Mortsel and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Mortsel. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,143 in Mortsel 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 $2,143 in Mortsel. 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, Mortsel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.