Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,645 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
Learn more

Nijmegen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,645

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Nijmegen vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nijmegen $2,645
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,930 per month in Nijmegen vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nijmegen $3,930
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,214 per month in Nijmegen vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nijmegen $5,214
Cape Town $3,306

Nijmegen costs about 73% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nijmegen and Cape Town sit above the global median – Nijmegen by 96%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.28 €25.18

$12.01 R 198

135.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.4

$42.92 R 707

133.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.77 €13.16

$6.15 R 101

140.16%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.85

$2.37 R 39.04

82.28%

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

$3.88 €3.46

$1.27 R 20.96

205.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.30

$0.94 R 15.46

174.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$2.96 R 48.77

93.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 €5.31

$3.69 R 60.8

61.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.32 R 21.73

10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.21 R 19.87

75.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.20 R 36.26

6.82%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.80

$3.10 R 51.1

73.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.41 €11.94

$8.73 R 144

53.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.06 €12.52

$6.89 R 114

104.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 €14.61

$9.26 R 153

77.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.83 R 30.08

55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.95 R 32.12

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.66 R 27.32

27.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 €4.57

$2.14 R 35.19

139.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.58 R 26.01

26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.47 R 24.29

55.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.35 R 22.18

-9.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.14 R 18.85

-28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.95 €12.42

$3.58 R 59.0

289.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 €6.18

$6.05 R 99.7

14.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.39 R 22.95

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.18 R 35.90

20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.40 R 23.02

145.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €101

$60.8 R 1,001

86.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 €4.37

$0.93 R 15.26

427.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 €3.14

$0.90 R 14.83

291.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.1 €58.9

$4.96 R 81.7

1232.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.54 R 25.37

57.79%

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

$42.0K €37.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

18.82%

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

$39.7K €35.4K

$33.4K R 549.9K

19.06%

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

$283 €252

$117 R 1,929

142.03%

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

$22.56 €20.08

$25.71 R 424

-12.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.72 €42.49

$39.41 R 649

21.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.53 €28.08

$51.6 R 850

-38.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.12 €22.37

$11.35 R 187

121.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 €14.13

$8.89 R 146

78.52%

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

$3,082 €2,744

$308 R 5,069

901.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$8,141 R 134.2K

108.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.3 €86.6

$57.4 R 946

69.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.47 €38.70

$31.75 R 523

36.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.3

$116 R 1,911

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 €150

$101 R 1,660

67.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 €1,458

$1,047 R 17.2K

56.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,033

$669 R 11.0K

73.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,664 €2,372

$1,861 R 30.7K

43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 €1,649

$1,407 R 23.2K

31.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,139 €5,466

$2,410 R 39.7K

154.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,510 €4,016

$1,570 R 25.9K

187.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,350 €2,983

$1,630 R 26.9K

105.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

10.89

-64.83%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nijmegen

$1.2K 43.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 42.3% $491

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$389 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 55.3% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$354 13.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 48.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$342 12.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 34.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$188 7.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 26.6% $50

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$150 5.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 52.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$63 2.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 9.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,638 in Nijmegen 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 in Nijmegen are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Nijmegen versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

11:39 11:39 AM

1 h ahead of Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

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 = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nijmegen Cape Town 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

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

Nijmegen costs about 73% 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 $3,967 per month in Nijmegen 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,638 in Nijmegen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Nijmegen and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,645 in Nijmegen 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 $2,645 in Nijmegen. 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, Nijmegen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.