Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Onesti and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,060 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,060 per month in Onesti vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Onesti $1,060
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,597 per month in Onesti vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Onesti $1,597
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,135 per month in Onesti vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Onesti $2,135
Cape Town $3,263

Onesti is about 33% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Onesti sits 21% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.61 RON 50.2

$12.14 R 200

-12.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.76 RON 202

$45.34 R 747

-5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 RON 33.78

$5.88 R 96.9

21.43%

Cappuccino

$2.89 RON 13.67

$2.50 R 41.18

15.60%

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

$2.20 RON 10.41

$1.27 R 20.94

73.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.36

$0.98 R 16.14

80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 RON 15.19

$2.99 R 49.33

7.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 RON 17.56

$3.72 R 61.4

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.30 R 21.40

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 RON 6.46

$1.25 R 20.68

8.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$2.23 R 36.76

-7.62%

Eggs

$2.98 RON 14.10

$3.11 R 51.2

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 RON 34.19

$9.06 R 149

-20.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 RON 30.74

$6.92 R 114

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 RON 47.03

$9.30 R 153

6.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 RON 4.89

$1.84 R 30.25

-44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$1.96 R 32.29

-26.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.55

$1.67 R 27.45

-4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 RON 9.85

$2.17 R 35.70

-4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.57 R 25.81

-46.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.22

$1.48 R 24.45

-39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 RON 5.51

$1.30 R 21.41

-10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$1.13 R 18.60

-46.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 RON 30.29

$3.60 R 59.3

77.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$6.15 R 101

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 RON 6.48

$1.38 R 22.66

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 RON 9.60

$2.14 R 35.20

-5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.50 R 24.65

-48.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.59 RON 102

$60.8 R 1,001

-64.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.12

$0.59 R 9.71

47.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.50 R 24.65

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 RON 38.79

$5.11 R 84.2

60.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 RON 6.82

$1.55 R 25.50

-7.10%

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

$29.2K RON 137.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-19.49%

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

$27.8K RON 131.4K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-11.09%

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

$184 RON 870

$114 R 1,883

60.90%

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

$7.27 RON 34.40

$28.91 R 476

-74.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.67 RON 41.02

$39.73 R 654

-78.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.79 RON 179

$49.01 R 808

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.49 RON 96.9

$10.99 R 181

86.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 40.59

$9.15 R 151

-6.23%

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

$420 RON 1,987

$259 R 4,264

62.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,932 RON 32.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

2.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.31 RON 181

$56.2 R 926

-31.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 RON 187

$32.41 R 534

22.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 RON 435

$121 R 1,987

-23.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 RON 425

$108 R 1,781

-16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 RON 1,784

$1,021 R 16.8K

-63.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 RON 1,333

$717 R 11.8K

-60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 RON 2,778

$1,824 R 30.1K

-67.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 RON 2,106

$1,327 R 21.9K

-66.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 RON 8,875

$2,391 R 39.4K

-21.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,367 RON 6,466

$1,542 R 25.4K

-11.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$618 RON 2,925

$1,639 R 27.0K

-62.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

10.97

-34.55%

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

Last update for Onesti: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Onesti

$282 26.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 154% $435

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Onesti

$200 18.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 8.5% $17

Groceries & Markets

Onesti

$197 18.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 14.5% $28

Eating Out

Onesti

$180 17%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 2.3% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Onesti

$117 11%

Cape Town

$143 9% 22.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Onesti

$55 5.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 22.5% $12

Getting Around

Onesti

$30 2.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 153% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Onesti versus $1,021 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 165% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Onesti versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $225 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Onesti

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h behind Onesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,333

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Onesti Cape Town 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Onesti
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

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

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,590 per month in Onesti and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,060 in Onesti and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 181% less in Onesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Onesti, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Onesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Onesti costs $1,060 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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