Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roman and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
Learn more

Roman Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $840 per month in Roman vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Roman $840
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,393 per month in Roman vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Roman $1,393
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Roman vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Roman $1,946
Cape Town $3,263

Roman is about 47% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Roman sits 38% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$12.14 R 200

-14.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.99 RON 161

$45.34 R 747

-25.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 34.59

$5.88 R 96.9

24.32%

Cappuccino

$2.43 RON 11.49

$2.50 R 41.18

-2.80%

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

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.27 R 20.94

8.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.03

$0.98 R 16.14

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.69

$2.99 R 49.33

-31.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 RON 10.29

$3.72 R 61.4

-41.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$1.30 R 21.40

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.25 R 20.68

-47.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$2.23 R 36.76

-35.87%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.65

$3.11 R 51.2

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 RON 35.72

$9.06 R 149

-16.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RON 27.05

$6.92 R 114

-17.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 RON 40.85

$9.30 R 153

-7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$1.84 R 30.25

-41.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.15

$1.96 R 32.29

-22.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.67 R 27.45

-14.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$2.17 R 35.70

-19.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$1.57 R 25.81

-54.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$1.48 R 24.45

-40.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.30 R 21.41

-32.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$1.13 R 18.60

-36.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 RON 26.58

$3.60 R 59.3

56.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 RON 25.25

$6.15 R 101

-13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$1.38 R 22.66

-29.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$2.14 R 35.20

-44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$1.50 R 24.65

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.67 RON 103

$60.8 R 1,001

-64.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$0.59 R 9.71

11.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$1.50 R 24.65

-57.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 RON 33.30

$5.11 R 84.2

37.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.22

$1.55 R 25.50

12.26%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-22.30%

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

$25.1K RON 118.6K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-19.77%

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

$146 RON 691

$114 R 1,883

27.70%

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

$6.96 RON 32.93

$28.91 R 476

-75.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 36.88

$39.73 R 654

-80.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 RON 176

$49.01 R 808

-24.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 RON 94.9

$10.99 R 181

82.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 RON 30.40

$9.15 R 151

-29.84%

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

$295 RON 1,397

$259 R 4,264

14.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,901 RON 23.2K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-27.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 RON 456

$56.2 R 926

71.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.51 RON 121

$32.41 R 534

-21.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 RON 290

$121 R 1,987

-49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 RON 274

$108 R 1,781

-46.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 RON 1,008

$1,021 R 16.8K

-79.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 RON 745

$717 R 11.8K

-78.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 RON 2,863

$1,824 R 30.1K

-66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 RON 2,146

$1,327 R 21.9K

-65.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 RON 8,812

$2,391 R 39.4K

-22.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 RON 6,413

$1,542 R 25.4K

-12.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$820 RON 3,880

$1,639 R 27.0K

-49.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.97

-34.37%

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

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roman

$176 20.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 28.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roman

$161 19.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 13.8% $22

Eating Out

Roman

$159 18.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 10.9% $17

Accommodation & Living

Roman

$157 18.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 356% $560

Clothing & Footwear

Roman

$109 12.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 31.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Roman

$50 6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 34.7% $17

Getting Around

Roman

$29 3.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 162% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Roman 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 100% 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 $34.00 in Roman versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $225 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Roman

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

1 h behind Roman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,328

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roman Cape Town 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Roman
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

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

Cape Town costs about 89% more than Roman, 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 $1,259 per month in Roman 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 Roman, 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 $840 in Roman and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 89%.

Public transport costs about 180% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Roman 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. Roman costs $840 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Roman. 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.