Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osnabruck and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,956 in Osnabruck, 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 Osnabruck
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Osnabruck Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Osnabruck

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,956

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,956 per month in Osnabruck vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Osnabruck $1,956
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Osnabruck vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Osnabruck $2,927
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,898 per month in Osnabruck vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Osnabruck $3,898
Cape Town $3,306

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

Both Osnabruck and Cape Town sit above the global median – Osnabruck by 45%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.09

$12.01 R 198

13.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 €70.0

$42.92 R 707

83.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 €9.44

$6.15 R 101

72.36%

Cappuccino

$3.74 €3.33

$2.37 R 39.04

57.81%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$1.27 R 20.96

136.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.94 R 15.46

204.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 €4.41

$2.96 R 48.77

67.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.44

$3.69 R 60.8

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.32 R 21.73

-3.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.21 R 19.87

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$2.20 R 36.26

66.36%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.11

$3.10 R 51.1

12.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 €12.79

$8.73 R 144

64.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 €9.65

$6.89 R 114

57.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 €16.92

$9.26 R 153

105.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.83 R 30.08

78.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.95 R 32.12

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.66 R 27.32

25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.14 R 35.19

89.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.58 R 26.01

-10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.47 R 24.29

-19.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.35 R 22.18

17.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.14 R 18.85

-25.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 €8.58

$3.58 R 59.0

169.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.95

$6.05 R 99.7

10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.39 R 22.95

-26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.18 R 35.90

-30.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 €3.28

$1.40 R 23.02

163.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €63.5

$60.8 R 1,001

17.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.93

$0.93 R 15.26

494.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.90 R 14.83

237.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.79 €36.32

$4.96 R 81.7

722.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.54 R 25.37

46.75%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-14.77%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

15.42%

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

$285 €254

$117 R 1,929

143.81%

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

$30.65 €27.29

$25.71 R 424

19.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.24 €35.83

$39.41 R 649

2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.53 €44.10

$51.6 R 850

-4.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 €12.06

$8.89 R 146

52.31%

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

$403 €359

$308 R 5,069

30.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K €24.7K

$8,141 R 134.2K

241.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 €79.8

$57.4 R 946

56.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.78 €35.42

$31.75 R 523

25.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 €77.1

$116 R 1,911

-25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.3

$101 R 1,660

5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$1,047 R 17.2K

-40.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 €633

$669 R 11.0K

6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 €1,447

$1,861 R 30.7K

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,060

$1,407 R 23.2K

-15.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,890 €3,463

$2,410 R 39.7K

61.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,372 €3,002

$1,570 R 25.9K

114.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 €1,521

$1,630 R 26.9K

4.84%

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 Osnabruck: 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

Osnabruck

$711 36.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 5.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osnabruck

$356 18.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 48.9% $174

Groceries & Markets

Osnabruck

$319 16.3%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 30.1% $96

Eating Out

Osnabruck

$241 12.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Osnabruck

$145 7.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 5% $7.3

Getting Around

Osnabruck

$107 5.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 32.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Osnabruck

$77 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 9.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Osnabruck 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 5% higher in Osnabruck, 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 $79 in Osnabruck versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Osnabruck

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

1 h ahead of Osnabruck

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,108

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 →

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Between locations

Osnabruck Cape Town 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Osnabruck
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

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

Osnabruck 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 $2,934 per month in Osnabruck 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 Osnabruck, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $627 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,956 in Osnabruck and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% 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 $1,956 in Osnabruck 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 $1,956 in Osnabruck. 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, Osnabruck makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.