Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,800 in Solothurn, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,800

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,800 per month in Solothurn vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solothurn $2,800
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,473 per month in Solothurn vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solothurn $4,473
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $6,146 per month in Solothurn vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solothurn $6,146
Cape Town $3,306

Solothurn costs about 83% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Solothurn and Cape Town sit above the global median – Solothurn by 107%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.00 CHF 25.35

$12.01 R 197

158.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$42.92 R 703

235.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.38 CHF 15.03

$6.15 R 101

198.86%

Cappuccino

$6.81 CHF 5.57

$2.37 R 38.81

187.34%

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

$5.42 CHF 4.43

$1.27 R 20.84

326.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 CHF 4.44

$0.94 R 15.37

477.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 CHF 5.66

$2.96 R 48.48

133.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 CHF 5.08

$3.69 R 60.5

68.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.72

$1.32 R 21.61

59.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.09

$1.21 R 19.75

212.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 CHF 2.91

$2.20 R 36.05

61.36%

Eggs

$8.63 CHF 7.06

$3.10 R 50.8

178.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.14 CHF 18.11

$8.73 R 143

153.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.31 CHF 21.52

$6.89 R 113

281.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.2 CHF 50.1

$9.26 R 152

561.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 CHF 2.45

$1.83 R 29.90

63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 CHF 1.22

$1.95 R 31.94

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 2.99

$1.66 R 27.16

120.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CHF 3.40

$2.14 R 34.99

94.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.35

$1.58 R 25.86

4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.46

$1.47 R 24.15

21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CHF 1.27

$1.35 R 22.05

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CHF 0.85

$1.14 R 18.75

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.92

$3.58 R 58.6

204.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 CHF 11.33

$6.05 R 99.2

128.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 CHF 2.29

$1.39 R 22.82

102.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$2.18 R 35.69

45.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.92 CHF 4.02

$1.40 R 22.88

251.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 CHF 6.92

$0.93 R 15.18

809.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$0.90 R 14.75

408.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.5 CHF 72.4

$4.96 R 81.3

1684.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.90

$1.54 R 25.23

50.65%

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

$30.5K CHF 25.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-13.73%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.2K

$33.4K R 546.7K

3.39%

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

$96.5 CHF 78.9

$117 R 1,918

-17.60%

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

$30.90 CHF 25.27

$25.71 R 421

20.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 CHF 45.35

$39.41 R 646

40.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.5 CHF 74.8

$51.6 R 846

77.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.99 CHF 13.90

$11.35 R 186

49.69%

Cinema Ticket

$18.54 CHF 15.17

$8.89 R 146

108.55%

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

$3,448 CHF 2,820

$308 R 5,040

1020.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.0K

$8,141 R 133.4K

410.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 115

$57.4 R 940

146.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 CHF 46.16

$31.75 R 520

77.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 CHF 132

$116 R 1,900

39.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$248 CHF 203

$101 R 1,650

145.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 CHF 964

$1,047 R 17.1K

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 CHF 872

$669 R 11.0K

59.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 CHF 1,508

$1,861 R 30.5K

-0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CHF 1,438

$1,407 R 23.1K

24.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,856 CHF 8,061

$2,410 R 39.5K

308.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,845 CHF 3,963

$1,570 R 25.7K

208.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,842 CHF 5,596

$1,630 R 26.7K

319.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

10.89

-81.36%

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

Last update for Solothurn: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solothurn

$1.1K 38.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 37.2% $397

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$624 22.3%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 64.2% $401

Eating Out

Solothurn

$475 17%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 63.4% $301

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$273 9.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 49.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$183 6.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 0.3% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$129 4.6%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 46% $59

Getting Around

Solothurn

$51 * 1.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 40.7% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,178 in Solothurn 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 Solothurn are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Solothurn versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $624 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

1 h ahead of Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Solothurn Cape Town 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Solothurn
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

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

Solothurn costs about 83% 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 $4,200 per month in Solothurn 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 $1,178 in Solothurn.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,800 in Solothurn and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,448 per month in Solothurn and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,800 in Solothurn 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, Solothurn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.