Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oldenburg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,950 in Oldenburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oldenburg
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Oldenburg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Oldenburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,950 per month in Oldenburg vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oldenburg $1,950
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,859 per month in Oldenburg vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oldenburg $2,859
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,768 per month in Oldenburg vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Oldenburg $3,768
Cape Town $3,306

Oldenburg costs about 28% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oldenburg and Cape Town sit above the global median – Oldenburg by 44%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 €9.80

$12.01 R 197

-8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.1 €65.1

$42.92 R 703

70.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.99

$6.15 R 101

82.44%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.37 R 38.81

74.68%

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

$4.04 €3.60

$1.27 R 20.84

218.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €2.99

$0.94 R 15.37

257.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.92

$2.96 R 48.48

86.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.65

$3.69 R 60.5

11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.32 R 21.61

-6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.21 R 19.75

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.20 R 36.05

31.36%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.46

$3.10 R 50.8

25.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 €11.05

$8.73 R 143

42.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.78

$6.89 R 113

75.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 €16.53

$9.26 R 152

100.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$1.83 R 29.90

74.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.95 R 31.94

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.66 R 27.16

24.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$2.14 R 34.99

92.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.58 R 25.86

-20.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.47 R 24.15

-22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.35 R 22.05

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.14 R 18.75

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 €8.52

$3.58 R 58.6

167.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 €6.01

$6.05 R 99.2

11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.39 R 22.82

-26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.18 R 35.69

-31.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.40 R 22.88

116.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 €60.7

$60.8 R 995

12.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$0.93 R 15.18

495.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.90 R 14.75

238.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.87 €37.30

$4.96 R 81.3

744.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.54 R 25.23

36.36%

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

$30.4K €27.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-14.16%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$33.4K R 546.7K

14.35%

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

$331 €295

$117 R 1,918

182.59%

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

$20.02 €17.83

$25.71 R 421

-22.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.87 €34.63

$39.41 R 646

-1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 €31.61

$51.6 R 846

-31.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.93 €7.06

$11.35 R 186

-30.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 €13.40

$8.89 R 146

69.29%

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

$501 €447

$308 R 5,040

62.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$8,141 R 133.4K

123.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.4

$57.4 R 940

53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.40 €32.43

$31.75 R 520

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.1

$116 R 1,900

-9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$101 R 1,650

16.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 €846

$1,047 R 17.1K

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 €607

$669 R 11.0K

1.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,079

$1,861 R 30.5K

-34.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €966

$1,407 R 23.1K

-22.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,719

$2,410 R 39.5K

73.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,057 €2,723

$1,570 R 25.7K

94.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,586 €3,194

$1,630 R 26.7K

120.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

10.89

-65.56%

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

Last update for Oldenburg: 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

Oldenburg

$682 35%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 1.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oldenburg

$390 20%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 53.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Oldenburg

$320 16.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 30.2% $96

Eating Out

Oldenburg

$237 12.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 26.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Oldenburg

$156 8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 11.7% $18

Getting Around

Oldenburg

$101 5.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 29% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Oldenburg

$66 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 5.8% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Oldenburg 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 Oldenburg are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Oldenburg versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Oldenburg

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

1 h ahead of Oldenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

163,830

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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oldenburg Cape Town 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Oldenburg
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

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

Oldenburg costs about 28% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,925 per month in Oldenburg and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $949 in Oldenburg and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,950 in Oldenburg and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 11% 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 $1,950 in Oldenburg 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 $1,950 in Oldenburg. 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, Oldenburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.