Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passau and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Passau and in Cape Town: $1,551 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

Passau, Germany
Cape Town, South Africa
Passau
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,551
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,551 per month in Passau vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Passau $1,551
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Passau vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Passau $2,580
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,610 per month in Passau vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Passau $3,610
  • Cape Town $3,306

Passau and Cape Town have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Passau and Cape Town sit above the global median – Passau by 15%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.03 €15.16
$12.01 R 198
41.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 €54.1
$42.92 R 707
41.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 €10.40
$6.15 R 101
89.92%
Cappuccino
$3.93 €3.50
$2.37 R 39.04
65.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 €3.23
$1.27 R 20.96
185.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 €2.77
$0.94 R 15.46
230.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.45 €3.97
$2.96 R 48.77
50.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 €4.37
$3.69 R 60.8
33.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.01
$1.32 R 21.73
-13.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.21 R 19.87
72.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 €2.91
$2.20 R 36.26
48.64%
Eggs
$3.76 €3.35
$3.10 R 51.1
21.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.25 €12.69
$8.73 R 144
63.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.23 €14.45
$6.89 R 114
135.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.84 €18.56
$9.26 R 153
125.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 €2.56
$1.83 R 30.08
56.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 €1.49
$1.95 R 32.12
-13.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.66 R 27.32
24.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.44 €3.95
$2.14 R 35.19
107.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.58 R 26.01
-6.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 €1.40
$1.47 R 24.29
7.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 €1.58
$1.35 R 22.18
31.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 €0.91
$1.14 R 18.85
-9.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.13 €8.13
$3.58 R 59.0
155.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.55 €4.95
$6.05 R 99.7
-8.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 €0.89
$1.39 R 22.95
-28.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$2.18 R 35.90
-22.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.85 €2.54
$1.40 R 23.02
103.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.0 €57.0
$60.8 R 1,001
5.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.26 €3.80
$0.93 R 15.26
358.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 €2.22
$0.90 R 14.83
176.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.29 €35.88
$4.96 R 81.7
712.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 €1.74
$1.54 R 25.37
27.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K €28.6K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-9.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$33.4K R 549.9K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$268 €239
$117 R 1,929
129.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.25 €14.47
$25.71 R 424
-36.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 €48.20
$39.41 R 649
37.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.6 R 850
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.35 R 187
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.11 €10.79
$8.89 R 146
36.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €609
$308 R 5,069
122.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.9K €16.8K
$8,141 R 134.2K
132.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$57.4 R 946
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$31.75 R 523
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$116 R 1,911
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$101 R 1,660
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$660 €587
$1,047 R 17.2K
-36.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 €419
$669 R 11.0K
-29.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,649 €1,469
$1,861 R 30.7K
-11.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,330 €1,185
$1,407 R 23.2K
-5.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,410 R 39.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,570 R 25.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Passau
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,491 €3,109
$1,630 R 26.9K
114.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.98
10.89
-63.45%

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

Last update for Passau: 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
Passau
$470
Cape Town
$669 42.4% $199
Groceries & Markets
Passau
$348
Cape Town
$223 35.9% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Passau
$339
Cape Town
$182 46.2% $157
Eating Out
Passau
$277
Cape Town
$174 37.3% $103
Getting Around
Passau
$92
Cape Town
$72 22.1% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Passau
$24 *
Cape Town
$69 186% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Passau
- *
Cape Town
$138

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Passau 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 Passau are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Passau versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Passau
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
06:04 6:04 AM
07:04 7:04 AM
1 h ahead of Passau
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,401
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Passau Cape Town 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Passau
  • 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
Passau vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Passau and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,326 per month in Passau and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Passau or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Passau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $660 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
Are groceries more expensive in Passau or in Cape Town?
Groceries cost about 56% more in Passau, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do childcare costs compare in Passau and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Passau and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Passau or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,551 in Passau and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Passau or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,551 in Passau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Passau or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Passau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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