Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,748 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,748

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,748 per month in The Hague vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

The Hague $2,748
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,149 per month in The Hague vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

The Hague $4,149
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,549 per month in The Hague vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

The Hague $5,549
Cape Town $3,306

The Hague costs about 80% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Hague and Cape Town sit above the global median – The Hague by 103%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.25 €19.81

$12.01 R 198

85.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 €79.2

$42.92 R 707

107.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.18 €13.52

$6.15 R 101

146.83%

Cappuccino

$4.28 €3.81

$2.37 R 39.04

80.59%

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

$4.26 €3.80

$1.27 R 20.96

235.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 €3.67

$0.94 R 15.46

338.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 €6.66

$2.96 R 48.77

152.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 €6.87

$3.69 R 60.8

109.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.32 R 21.73

10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.21 R 19.87

80.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.20 R 36.26

12.73%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.22

$3.10 R 51.1

52.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.60 €13.00

$8.73 R 144

67.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.22 €11.77

$6.89 R 114

91.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.49

$9.26 R 153

112.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.83 R 30.08

40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.95 R 32.12

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.66 R 27.32

22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.14 R 35.19

72.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.58 R 26.01

-16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.47 R 24.29

-8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.35 R 22.18

-17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.14 R 18.85

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.56 €12.97

$3.58 R 59.0

306.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 €5.17

$6.05 R 99.7

-4.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.39 R 22.95

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.18 R 35.90

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.97 €4.42

$1.40 R 23.02

255.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 €75.7

$60.8 R 1,001

39.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.01

$0.93 R 15.26

383.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.49 €3.11

$0.90 R 14.83

287.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.45 €40.47

$4.96 R 81.7

816.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.54 R 25.37

68.83%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

17.85%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

18.65%

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

$274 €244

$117 R 1,929

134.28%

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

$28.66 €25.51

$25.71 R 424

11.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 €48.88

$39.41 R 649

39.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.88 €41.74

$51.6 R 850

-9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 €21.86

$11.35 R 187

116.39%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 €14.28

$8.89 R 146

80.31%

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

$2,645 €2,355

$308 R 5,069

759.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.1K

$8,141 R 134.2K

94.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €86.0

$57.4 R 946

68.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 €38.21

$31.75 R 523

35.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$116 R 1,911

-8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$101 R 1,660

38.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 €1,472

$1,047 R 17.2K

57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 €1,174

$669 R 11.0K

97.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,989 €2,661

$1,861 R 30.7K

60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 €2,116

$1,407 R 23.2K

68.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,216 €5,535

$2,410 R 39.7K

157.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,582 €4,080

$1,570 R 25.9K

191.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,094 €3,645

$1,630 R 26.9K

151.18%

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 The Hague: 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

The Hague

$1.3K 48%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 49.3% $650

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 51.8% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$358 13%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49.1% $176

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$331 12.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 32.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 20.6% $36

Getting Around

The Hague

$127 4.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 43.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$79 2.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 12.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,653 in The Hague 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 The Hague are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in The Hague versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

1 h ahead of The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

The Hague Cape Town 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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

The Hague vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague costs about 80% 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 $4,122 per month in The Hague 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 $1,653 in The Hague.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,748 in The Hague and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% 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 $2,748 in The Hague and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,748 in The Hague. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, The Hague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.