Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,096 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,096

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,096 per month in Olten vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olten $3,096
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,841 per month in Olten vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olten $4,841
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $6,585 per month in Olten vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olten $6,585
Cape Town $3,306

Olten costs about 103% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Olten and Cape Town sit above the global median – Olten by 129%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.31 CHF 27.24

$12.01 R 197

177.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.2

$42.92 R 703

179.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.66 CHF 14.44

$6.15 R 101

187.15%

Cappuccino

$6.35 CHF 5.20

$2.37 R 38.81

167.93%

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

$5.36 CHF 4.39

$1.27 R 20.84

322.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 CHF 4.41

$0.94 R 15.37

474.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.37 CHF 7.66

$2.96 R 48.48

216.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.71 CHF 6.30

$3.69 R 60.5

108.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.82

$1.32 R 21.61

68.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 CHF 3.21

$1.21 R 19.75

224.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 CHF 3.00

$2.20 R 36.05

66.82%

Eggs

$8.43 CHF 6.90

$3.10 R 50.8

171.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.65 CHF 20.98

$8.73 R 143

193.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.95 CHF 22.04

$6.89 R 113

291.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.02 CHF 37.64

$9.26 R 152

396.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 CHF 3.47

$1.83 R 29.90

131.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 CHF 2.38

$1.95 R 31.94

49.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 CHF 2.47

$1.66 R 27.16

81.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.84

$2.14 R 34.99

119.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$1.58 R 25.86

63.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CHF 1.78

$1.47 R 24.15

47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 CHF 1.96

$1.35 R 22.05

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.04

$1.14 R 18.75

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.80 CHF 8.84

$3.58 R 58.6

201.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 CHF 11.31

$6.05 R 99.2

128.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 CHF 2.35

$1.39 R 22.82

106.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.57

$2.18 R 35.69

44.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.50 CHF 4.50

$1.40 R 22.88

292.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 87.4

$60.8 R 995

75.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 CHF 6.72

$0.93 R 15.18

783.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.62 CHF 3.78

$0.90 R 14.75

413.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.5 CHF 73.2

$4.96 R 81.3

1704.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.81

$1.54 R 25.23

43.51%

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

$40.0K CHF 32.7K

$35.4K R 579.4K

13.17%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.3K

$33.4K R 546.7K

18.48%

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

$287 CHF 235

$117 R 1,918

144.94%

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

$34.09 CHF 27.88

$25.71 R 421

32.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.37 CHF 39.56

$39.41 R 646

22.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 CHF 66.9

$51.6 R 846

58.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$21.59 CHF 17.66

$8.89 R 146

142.86%

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

$3,458 CHF 2,828

$308 R 5,040

1023.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.9K CHF 34.3K

$8,141 R 133.4K

414.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 116

$57.4 R 940

147.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 CHF 45.08

$31.75 R 520

73.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 130

$116 R 1,900

37.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 172

$101 R 1,650

108.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CHF 998

$1,047 R 17.1K

16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 CHF 873

$669 R 11.0K

59.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 CHF 1,577

$1,861 R 30.5K

3.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 CHF 1,591

$1,407 R 23.1K

38.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,777 CHF 4,725

$1,630 R 26.7K

254.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

10.89

-81.36%

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

Last update for Olten: 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

Olten

$1.1K 34.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 37.3% $398

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$619 20%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 63.9% $396

Eating Out

Olten

$501 16.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 65.3% $327

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$369 11.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 50.7% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$255 8.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 46% $117

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 55.2% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$125 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 44.5% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,220 in Olten 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 Olten are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Olten versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Olten Cape Town 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Olten
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

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

Olten costs about 103% 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 $4,644 per month in Olten 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 $1,220 in Olten.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,096 in Olten and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% 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 $3,096 in Olten 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 Cape Town – 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.