Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Kyiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $1,009 a month against $1,174 in Stellenbosch, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stellenbosch and in Kyiv

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stellenbosch and in Kyiv actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,174 in Stellenbosch versus $1,009 in Kyiv.

Stellenbosch $1,174
Kyiv $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,947 in Stellenbosch versus $1,576 in Kyiv.

Stellenbosch $1,947
Kyiv $1,576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Stellenbosch versus $2,142 in Kyiv.

Stellenbosch $2,721
Kyiv $2,142

Living in Stellenbosch is roughly 16% more expensive than in Kyiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Stellenbosch 13% lower, Kyiv 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.50 R 124

$11.05 ₴496

-32.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.96 R 609

$33.49 ₴1,503

10.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 R 81.9

$7.72 ₴347

-35.62%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.16

$1.74 ₴78.2

22.41%

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

$1.00 R 16.45

$0.73 ₴32.69

36.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 12.06

$0.59 ₴26.63

23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R 43.84

$1.35 ₴60.8

97.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 R 52.2

$2.02 ₴90.9

56.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$1.34 ₴60.4

0.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 R 19.00

$0.89 ₴39.81

29.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.63

$1.43 ₴64.3

25.87%

Eggs

$2.85 R 47.01

$1.99 ₴89.3

43.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 R 144

$10.15 ₴456

-13.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 R 97.9

$5.40 ₴242

10.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$8.95 ₴402

-16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.90

$1.24 ₴55.7

41.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.42

$1.55 ₴69.5

-4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$1.82 ₴81.6

-4.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.45

$2.68 ₴120

-42.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.86

$0.63 ₴28.44

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.77

$0.45 ₴20.10

246.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.37

$1.50 ₴67.3

-9.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.54

$0.65 ₴29.24

83.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 R 61.8

$3.48 ₴156

7.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 R 101

$5.69 ₴256

7.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.30

$0.93 ₴41.62

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R 35.56

$1.38 ₴61.9

56.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₴31.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.17 ₴502

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.87

$2.21 ₴99.1

-72.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 R 24.55

$0.45 ₴20.42

231.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 R 84.4

$4.84 ₴217

5.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 R 22.79

$1.76 ₴79.0

-21.59%

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

$35.5K R 585.4K

$30.6K ₴1.4M

16.19%

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

$34.0K R 560.3K

$25.4K ₴1.1M

33.88%

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

$103 R 1,701

$99.5 ₴4,467

3.73%

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

$29.34 R 483

$6.91 ₴310

324.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.40 R 567

$6.67 ₴299

415.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 R 485

$36.15 ₴1,623

-18.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.07 R 281

$18.24 ₴819

-6.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 R 144

$5.54 ₴248

57.76%

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

$266 R 4,381

$410 ₴18.4K

-35.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,413 R 39.8K

$15.0K ₴675.1K

-83.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 R 864

$75.3 ₴3,378

-30.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.86 R 476

$40.20 ₴1,805

-28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,982

$94.6 ₴4,246

27.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 R 1,476

$117 ₴5,264

-23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R 11.2K

$632 ₴28.4K

7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R 8,078

$342 ₴15.4K

43.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 R 24.3K

$1,285 ₴57.7K

14.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 R 19.7K

$624 ₴28.0K

91.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,707 ₴121.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,118 ₴50.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,583 R 42.6K

$828 ₴37.2K

211.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

17.88

-40.16%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8%

Kyiv

$342 33.9% 30.2% $148

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4%

Kyiv

$192 19% 5.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2%

Kyiv

$113 11.2% 32.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2%

Kyiv

$147 14.6% 12.4% $16

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8%

Kyiv

$149 14.7% 16.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Kyiv

$47 4.7% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7%

Kyiv

$18 1.8% 129% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Stellenbosch and $632 in Kyiv. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 212% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Stellenbosch vs $33.00 in Kyiv for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $192 per month, with Kyiv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h ahead of Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

2,908,249 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stellenbosch Kyiv 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
Kyiv

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

Stellenbosch vs Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kyiv is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 212% higher in Stellenbosch, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Stellenbosch versus $632 in Kyiv. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Stellenbosch versus $410 in Kyiv. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kyiv – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $37.00 in Stellenbosch. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Kyiv versus $1,174 in Stellenbosch, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kyiv but tight or insufficient in Stellenbosch. The gap between the two cities makes Kyiv the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kyiv is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stellenbosch, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Kyiv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Stellenbosch. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.