Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostov-on-Don and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,137 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,137

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,137 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $1,137
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,585 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $1,585
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,032 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $2,032
Cape Town $3,263

Rostov-on-Don is about 28% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Rostov-on-Don sits 16% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 ₽911

$12.14 R 200

-10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.73 ₽2,064

$45.34 R 747

-45.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 ₽472

$5.88 R 96.9

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ₽236

$2.50 R 41.18

13.20%

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

$1.10 ₽91.9

$1.27 R 20.94

-13.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₽39.90

$0.98 R 16.14

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₽97.0

$2.99 R 49.33

-61.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₽242

$3.72 R 61.4

-22.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₽90.1

$1.30 R 21.40

-16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽60.0

$1.25 R 20.68

-42.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 ₽105

$2.23 R 36.76

-43.50%

Eggs

$1.41 ₽117

$3.11 R 51.2

-54.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 ₽783

$9.06 R 149

3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 ₽424

$6.92 R 114

-26.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.03 ₽670

$9.30 R 153

-13.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 ₽117

$1.84 R 30.25

-23.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽149

$1.96 R 32.29

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 ₽119

$1.67 R 27.45

-14.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 ₽190

$2.17 R 35.70

4.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₽56.0

$1.57 R 25.81

-57.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽49.05

$1.48 R 24.45

-60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₽86.2

$1.30 R 21.41

-20.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽54.6

$1.13 R 18.60

-42.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ₽226

$3.60 R 59.3

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ₽509

$6.15 R 101

-0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₽72.7

$1.38 R 22.66

-36.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₽165

$2.14 R 35.20

-7.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₽44.36

$1.50 R 24.65

-64.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.26 ₽1,190

$60.8 R 1,001

-76.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 ₽300

$0.59 R 9.71

508.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₽11.52

$1.50 R 24.65

-90.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ₽327

$5.11 R 84.2

-23.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽68.4

$1.55 R 25.50

-47.10%

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

$28.8K ₽2.4M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-20.59%

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

$31.3K ₽2.6M

$31.2K R 514.8K

0.22%

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

$124 ₽10.3K

$114 R 1,883

8.25%

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

$7.20 ₽601

$28.91 R 476

-75.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.59 ₽717

$39.73 R 654

-78.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.15 ₽2,767

$49.01 R 808

-32.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.83 ₽1,739

$10.99 R 181

89.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 ₽449

$9.15 R 151

-41.20%

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

$363 ₽30.3K

$259 R 4,264

40.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 ₽4,605

$56.2 R 926

-1.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.18 ₽3,687

$32.41 R 534

36.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₽8,917

$121 R 1,987

-11.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₽8,685

$108 R 1,781

-3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₽52.1K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-38.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₽38.4K

$717 R 11.8K

-35.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 ₽74.7K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 ₽47.4K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,317 ₽193.3K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-3.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,465 ₽122.3K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-4.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$822 ₽68.6K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-49.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.83

10.97

80.77%

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

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: 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

Rostov-on-Don

$460 40.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 55.7% $256

Groceries & Markets

Rostov-on-Don

$177 15.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27.3% $48

Eating Out

Rostov-on-Don

$156 13.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 12.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 2.3% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 31.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rostov-on-Don

$44 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 53.3% $23

Getting Around

Rostov-on-Don

$21 1.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 262% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $624 in Rostov-on-Don 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 99% 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 $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $225 – making Rostov-on-Don the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h behind Rostov-on-Don

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,114,806

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rostov-on-Don Cape Town 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rostov-on-Don
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rostov-on-Don vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Rostov-on-Don, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Rostov-on-Don 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 Rostov-on-Don, 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 $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 326% less in Rostov-on-Don. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rostov-on-Don, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rostov-on-Don 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. Rostov-on-Don costs $1,137 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 Rostov-on-Don. 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.