Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,046 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,046 per month in Nis vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nis $1,046
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,544 per month in Nis vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nis $1,544
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,042 per month in Nis vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nis $2,042
Cape Town $3,306

Nis is about 32% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nis sits 23% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 RSD 886

$12.01 R 198

-29.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.65 RSD 3,503

$42.92 R 707

-21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 RSD 987

$6.15 R 101

54.15%

Cappuccino

$1.99 RSD 207

$2.37 R 39.04

-16.03%

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

$2.25 RSD 235

$1.27 R 20.96

77.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RSD 184

$0.94 R 15.46

88.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 RSD 370

$2.96 R 48.77

19.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 RSD 440

$3.69 R 60.8

14.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 RSD 114

$1.32 R 21.73

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.21 R 19.87

-38.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RSD 184

$2.20 R 36.26

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.23 RSD 233

$3.10 R 51.1

-28.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.34 RSD 764

$8.73 R 144

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.67 RSD 591

$6.89 R 114

-17.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RSD 1,156

$9.26 R 153

19.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.05 RSD 110

$1.83 R 30.08

-42.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RSD 177

$1.95 R 32.12

-12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RSD 148

$1.66 R 27.32

-13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 RSD 212

$2.14 R 35.19

-4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RSD 83.1

$1.58 R 26.01

-49.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 RSD 75.7

$1.47 R 24.29

-50.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 RSD 64.3

$1.35 R 22.18

-54.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 RSD 59.8

$1.14 R 18.85

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 RSD 444

$3.58 R 59.0

18.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.87 RSD 611

$6.05 R 99.7

-2.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.6

$1.39 R 22.95

-51.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RSD 133

$2.18 R 35.90

-41.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 RSD 186

$0.93 R 15.26

92.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RSD 70.8

$0.90 R 14.83

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 RSD 909

$4.96 R 81.7

76.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RSD 197

$1.54 R 25.37

23.38%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

$35.4K R 582.8K

-14.71%

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

$23.0K RSD 2.4M

$33.4K R 549.9K

-31.20%

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

$162 RSD 16.9K

$117 R 1,929

38.58%

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

$18.70 RSD 1,946

$25.71 R 424

-27.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.22 RSD 2,417

$39.41 R 649

-41.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 RSD 3,097

$51.6 R 850

-42.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 RSD 1,568

$11.35 R 187

32.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 RSD 484

$8.89 R 146

-47.69%

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

$256 RSD 26.6K

$308 R 5,069

-16.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,842 RSD 504.0K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-40.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 RSD 9,316

$57.4 R 946

55.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 RSD 4,055

$31.75 R 523

22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 RSD 10.4K

$116 R 1,911

-14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RSD 11.5K

$101 R 1,660

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 RSD 43.0K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-60.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 RSD 31.4K

$669 R 11.0K

-54.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 RSD 66.9K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-65.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 RSD 48.5K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-66.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,610 RSD 271.7K

$2,410 R 39.7K

8.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 RSD 193.9K

$1,570 R 25.9K

18.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 RSD 98.2K

$1,630 R 26.9K

-42.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.08

10.89

-53.35%

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

Last update for Nis: 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

Nis

$302 28.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 122% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$204 19.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 10.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$180 17.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 23.8% $43

Eating Out

Nis

$163 15.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 6.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 9.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$39 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 77.6% $30

Getting Around

Nis

$5.2 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 1283% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Nis 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 73% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Nis versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $223 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nis Cape Town 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nis
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

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

Cape Town costs about 46% more than Nis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,569 per month in Nis 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 Nis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,046 in Nis and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Nis about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Nis and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,046 in Nis and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Nis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nis. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.