Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oberhausen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,007 in Oberhausen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Oberhausen
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Oberhausen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Oberhausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,007

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,007 per month in Oberhausen vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oberhausen $2,007
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,856 per month in Oberhausen vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oberhausen $2,856
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,704 per month in Oberhausen vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oberhausen $3,704
Cape Town $3,306

Oberhausen costs about 31% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oberhausen and Cape Town sit above the global median – Oberhausen by 48%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.80

$12.01 R 198

38.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 €74.7

$42.92 R 707

95.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.75

$6.15 R 101

114.63%

Cappuccino

$4.04 €3.60

$2.37 R 39.04

70.46%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$1.27 R 20.96

149.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$0.94 R 15.46

235.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.05

$2.96 R 48.77

91.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.69 R 60.8

55.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.32 R 21.73

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.21 R 19.87

75.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.20 R 36.26

40.91%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$3.10 R 51.1

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.33 €11.87

$8.73 R 144

52.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 €10.75

$6.89 R 114

75.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 €20.75

$9.26 R 153

151.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.83 R 30.08

61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.95 R 32.12

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.66 R 27.32

34.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.61

$2.14 R 35.19

89.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.58 R 26.01

-17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.47 R 24.29

-12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.35 R 22.18

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.14 R 18.85

-4.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 €8.81

$3.58 R 59.0

176.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 €4.90

$6.05 R 99.7

-8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.39 R 22.95

-23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.18 R 35.90

-21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.40 R 23.02

133.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 €44.59

$60.8 R 1,001

-17.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.49

$0.93 R 15.26

443.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 €2.58

$0.90 R 14.83

222.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.02 €29.41

$4.96 R 81.7

565.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.54 R 25.37

40.91%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-6.20%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

14.29%

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

$395 €352

$117 R 1,929

237.22%

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

$12.37 €11.01

$25.71 R 424

-51.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.45 €33.35

$39.41 R 649

-4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 €35.23

$51.6 R 850

-23.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.16 €23.29

$11.35 R 187

130.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.44 €13.75

$8.89 R 146

73.68%

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

$469 €418

$308 R 5,069

52.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,474 €8,436

$8,141 R 134.2K

16.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$57.4 R 946

52.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 €37.19

$31.75 R 523

31.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €88.6

$116 R 1,911

-14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$101 R 1,660

39.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 €520

$1,047 R 17.2K

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €556

$669 R 11.0K

-6.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 €668

$1,861 R 30.7K

-59.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 €674

$1,407 R 23.2K

-46.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,631 €4,123

$2,410 R 39.7K

92.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,286 €2,926

$1,570 R 25.9K

109.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 €3,019

$1,630 R 26.9K

108.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

10.89

-63.73%

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

Last update for Oberhausen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oberhausen

$624 31.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 7.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oberhausen

$445 22.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 59% $262

Groceries & Markets

Oberhausen

$333 16.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 32.9% $110

Eating Out

Oberhausen

$286 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Oberhausen

$166 8.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 17.3% $29

Getting Around

Oberhausen

$83 4.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 13.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Oberhausen

$70 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 1.5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $584 in Oberhausen 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 Oberhausen are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Oberhausen versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Oberhausen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

1 h ahead of Oberhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,292

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Oberhausen
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

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

Oberhausen costs about 31% 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 $3,011 per month in Oberhausen 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 Oberhausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $584 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,007 in Oberhausen and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Oberhausen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,007 in Oberhausen 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 $2,007 in Oberhausen. 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, Oberhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.