Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijswijk and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,570 in Rijswijk, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Rijswijk
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Rijswijk Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,570

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,570 per month in Rijswijk vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rijswijk $2,570
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,496 per month in Rijswijk vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rijswijk $3,496
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,422 per month in Rijswijk vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rijswijk $4,422
Cape Town $3,306

Rijswijk costs about 68% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rijswijk and Cape Town sit above the global median – Rijswijk by 90%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.06

$12.01 R 197

87.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 €71.1

$42.92 R 703

85.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 €7.77

$6.15 R 101

41.79%

Cappuccino

$3.51 €3.13

$2.37 R 38.81

48.10%

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

$3.28 €2.93

$1.27 R 20.84

158.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.94 R 15.37

231.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €6.00

$2.96 R 48.48

127.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 €5.31

$3.69 R 60.5

61.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 R 21.61

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.21 R 19.75

37.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.20 R 36.05

-5.00%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.52

$3.10 R 50.8

27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 €12.36

$8.73 R 143

58.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 €9.83

$6.89 R 113

60.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 €14.74

$9.26 R 152

78.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.83 R 29.90

8.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.95 R 31.94

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.66 R 27.16

18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.14 R 34.99

6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.58 R 25.86

-22.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.47 R 24.15

-8.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.35 R 22.05

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.14 R 18.75

-22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.47 €12.00

$3.58 R 58.6

276.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$6.05 R 99.2

-9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.39 R 22.82

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.18 R 35.69

-20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.23 €4.66

$1.40 R 22.88

273.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €63.9

$60.8 R 995

18.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 €4.15

$0.93 R 15.18

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$0.90 R 14.75

271.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.05 €40.13

$4.96 R 81.3

808.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.54 R 25.23

61.69%

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

$40.7K €36.3K

$35.4K R 579.4K

15.23%

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

$38.8K €34.6K

$33.4K R 546.7K

16.34%

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

$278 €248

$117 R 1,918

137.56%

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

$19.77 €17.61

$25.71 R 421

-23.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.12

$39.41 R 646

28.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.10 €36.61

$51.6 R 846

-20.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 €12.41

$8.89 R 146

56.69%

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

$2,643 €2,355

$308 R 5,040

759.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K €13.8K

$8,141 R 133.4K

90.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €83.8

$57.4 R 940

63.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.59 €37.94

$31.75 R 520

34.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$116 R 1,900

-8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$101 R 1,650

36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 €1,248

$1,047 R 17.1K

33.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 €1,127

$669 R 11.0K

89.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 €1,365

$1,861 R 30.5K

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 €1,403

$1,407 R 23.1K

11.95%

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)

$3,664 €3,264

$1,630 R 26.7K

124.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

10.89

-68.78%

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

Last update for Rijswijk: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijswijk

$1.3K 49.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 47.1% $596

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijswijk

$349 13.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 47.7% $166

Eating Out

Rijswijk

$320 12.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 45.6% $146

Groceries & Markets

Rijswijk

$284 11%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 21.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Rijswijk

$171 6.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 19.5% $33

Getting Around

Rijswijk

$114 4.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 37% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rijswijk

$69 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,402 in Rijswijk 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 Rijswijk are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Rijswijk versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rijswijk

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Rijswijk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,027

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rijswijk Cape Town 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rijswijk
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

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

Rijswijk costs about 68% 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 $3,856 per month in Rijswijk 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 $1,402 in Rijswijk.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,570 in Rijswijk and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 41% 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 $2,570 in Rijswijk 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, Rijswijk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.