Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mulhouse and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,756 in Mulhouse, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Mulhouse despite lower rent and utilities.

Mulhouse, France
Cape Town, South Africa
Mulhouse
🇫🇷 France
$1,756
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,756 per month in Mulhouse vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mulhouse $1,756
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,820 per month in Mulhouse vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mulhouse $2,820
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,883 per month in Mulhouse vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mulhouse $3,883
  • Cape Town $3,306

Mulhouse costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mulhouse and Cape Town sit above the global median – Mulhouse by 30%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.52 €20.06
$12.01 R 197
87.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.1 €67.8
$42.92 R 703
77.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.05 €9.84
$6.15 R 101
79.67%
Cappuccino
$3.37 €3.00
$2.37 R 38.81
42.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 €2.77
$1.27 R 20.84
144.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 €1.74
$0.94 R 15.37
108.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.39 €3.91
$2.96 R 48.48
48.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 €3.55
$3.69 R 60.5
8.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.32 R 21.61
-1.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.21 R 19.75
87.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.15 €1.92
$2.20 R 36.05
-2.27%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.58
$3.10 R 50.8
29.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.34 €11.88
$8.73 R 143
52.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.59 €12.11
$6.89 R 113
97.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.90 €18.62
$9.26 R 152
125.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.59 €3.20
$1.83 R 29.90
96.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.95 R 31.94
15.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.76 €4.24
$1.66 R 27.16
186.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.08 €6.31
$2.14 R 34.99
230.84%
Potato (1kg)
$3.23 €2.88
$1.58 R 25.86
104.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.47 R 24.15
17.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.35 R 22.05
40.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.14 R 18.75
-9.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.22 €10.89
$3.58 R 58.6
241.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.74 €6.90
$6.05 R 99.2
27.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 €2.77
$1.39 R 22.82
123.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 €3.03
$2.18 R 35.69
56.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.40 R 22.88
30.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.95 €44.49
$60.8 R 995
-17.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 €3.07
$0.93 R 15.18
270.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 €3.02
$0.90 R 14.75
276.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.45 €25.34
$4.96 R 81.3
473.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 €1.89
$1.54 R 25.23
37.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K €32.8K
$35.4K R 579.4K
4.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K €33.5K
$33.4K R 546.7K
12.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$241 €214
$117 R 1,918
105.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.80 €28.33
$25.71 R 421
23.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.19 €28.67
$39.41 R 646
-18.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.13 €37.53
$51.6 R 846
-18.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.15 €40.22
$11.35 R 186
297.80%
Cinema Ticket
$11.67 €10.40
$8.89 R 146
31.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$703 €626
$308 R 5,040
128.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,502 €7,574
$8,141 R 133.4K
4.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 €59.5
$57.4 R 940
16.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.96 €34.71
$31.75 R 520
22.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.6 €79.8
$116 R 1,900
-22.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$138 €123
$101 R 1,650
37.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$567 €505
$1,047 R 17.1K
-45.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$466 €415
$669 R 11.0K
-30.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,154 €1,028
$1,861 R 30.5K
-37.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$964 €859
$1,407 R 23.1K
-31.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,381 €2,121
$2,410 R 39.5K
-1.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,594 €1,420
$1,570 R 25.7K
1.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mulhouse
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,157 €1,921
$1,630 R 26.7K
32.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
10.89
-67.31%

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

Last update for Mulhouse: 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
Mulhouse
$466
Cape Town
$669 43.5% $203
Groceries & Markets
Mulhouse
$388
Cape Town
$223 42.4% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mulhouse
$305
Cape Town
$182 40.2% $123
Eating Out
Mulhouse
$304
Cape Town
$174 42.7% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Mulhouse
$150
Cape Town
$138 8.3% $12
Getting Around
Mulhouse
$78
Cape Town
$72 7.6% $5.9
Sport & Entertainment
Mulhouse
$65
Cape Town
$69 6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Mulhouse 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 32% higher in Mulhouse. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mulhouse 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
🇫🇷 Mulhouse
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
07:01 7:01 AM
08:01 8:01 AM
1 h ahead of Mulhouse
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
106,341
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mulhouse Cape Town 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mulhouse
  • 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
Mulhouse vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mulhouse or Cape Town?
Mulhouse costs about 15% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mulhouse and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,634 per month in Mulhouse and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mulhouse or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mulhouse, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Mulhouse compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,756 in Mulhouse and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Mulhouse compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 18% less in Mulhouse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mulhouse or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,756 in Mulhouse and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mulhouse or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,756 in Mulhouse. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Mulhouse or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mulhouse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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