Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olsztyn and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,703 in Olsztyn, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Olsztyn outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,703

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,703 per month in Olsztyn vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olsztyn $1,703
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,449 per month in Olsztyn vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olsztyn $2,449
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,196 per month in Olsztyn vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olsztyn $3,196
Cape Town $3,306

Olsztyn costs about 11% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Olsztyn and Cape Town sit above the global median – Olsztyn by 26%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.63 zł 49.50

$12.01 R 198

5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 zł 197

$42.92 R 707

17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 zł 34.10

$6.15 R 101

41.46%

Cappuccino

$3.29 zł 12.88

$2.37 R 39.04

38.82%

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

$2.48 zł 9.70

$1.27 R 20.96

95.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 zł 7.24

$0.94 R 15.46

96.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 zł 12.10

$2.96 R 48.77

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 zł 14.71

$3.69 R 60.8

1.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 zł 4.01

$1.32 R 21.73

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 zł 4.91

$1.21 R 19.87

3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 zł 5.40

$2.20 R 36.26

-37.27%

Eggs

$3.87 zł 15.19

$3.10 R 51.1

24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 zł 37.68

$8.73 R 144

10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 zł 29.61

$6.89 R 114

9.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.51 zł 56.9

$9.26 R 153

56.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.66

$1.83 R 30.08

-34.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 zł 6.49

$1.95 R 32.12

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 zł 7.12

$1.66 R 27.32

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 zł 13.48

$2.14 R 35.19

60.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.56

$1.58 R 26.01

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 zł 4.63

$1.47 R 24.29

-19.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 zł 5.26

$1.35 R 22.18

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 zł 2.83

$1.14 R 18.85

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 zł 21.50

$3.58 R 59.0

53.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 zł 30.61

$6.05 R 99.7

29.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 zł 4.44

$1.39 R 22.95

-18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 zł 6.12

$2.18 R 35.90

-28.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 zł 4.07

$1.40 R 23.02

-25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.18 zł 98.7

$60.8 R 1,001

-58.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 zł 7.75

$0.93 R 15.26

112.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 zł 2.86

$0.90 R 14.83

-18.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 zł 40.26

$4.96 R 81.7

107.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 zł 6.43

$1.54 R 25.37

6.49%

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

$31.2K zł 122.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-11.64%

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

$28.9K zł 113.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-13.35%

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

$336 zł 1,318

$117 R 1,929

187.26%

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

$9.64 zł 37.79

$25.71 R 424

-62.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.98 zł 74.4

$39.41 R 649

-51.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.06 zł 177

$51.6 R 850

-12.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 zł 87.7

$11.35 R 187

97.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 zł 34.12

$8.89 R 146

-2.14%

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

$374 zł 1,464

$308 R 5,069

21.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K zł 54.9K

$8,141 R 134.2K

71.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.8 zł 387

$57.4 R 946

72.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.62 zł 187

$31.75 R 523

49.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 zł 391

$116 R 1,911

-13.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 zł 406

$101 R 1,660

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$820 zł 3,213

$1,047 R 17.2K

-21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 zł 2,502

$669 R 11.0K

-4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 zł 5,128

$1,861 R 30.7K

-29.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 zł 4,017

$1,407 R 23.2K

-27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,616 zł 14.2K

$2,410 R 39.7K

50.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,519 zł 9,874

$1,570 R 25.9K

60.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,491 zł 5,843

$1,630 R 26.9K

-8.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.52

10.89

-30.95%

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

Last update for Olsztyn: 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

Olsztyn

$638 37.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 4.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olsztyn

$365 21.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 50.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Olsztyn

$238 14%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 6.1% $15

Eating Out

Olsztyn

$207 12.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 15.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Olsztyn

$157 9.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Olsztyn

$62 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 11.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Olsztyn

$35 2.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 105% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $820 in Olsztyn 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 9% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Olsztyn versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Olsztyn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,675

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Olsztyn Cape Town 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Olsztyn
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

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

Olsztyn costs about 11% 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 $2,554 per month in Olsztyn 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 Olsztyn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $820 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,703 in Olsztyn and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Olsztyn. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,703 in Olsztyn 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 $1,703 in Olsztyn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.