Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torun and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Torun: $1,210 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Torun, Poland
Cape Town, South Africa
Torun
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,210
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Torun vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Torun $1,210
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,794 per month in Torun vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Torun $1,794
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Torun vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Torun $2,379
  • Cape Town $3,306

Torun is about 21% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Torun sits 11% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.39 zł 36.72
$12.01 R 197
-21.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.56 zł 186
$42.92 R 703
10.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.12 zł 31.77
$6.15 R 101
32.03%
Cappuccino
$3.50 zł 13.71
$2.37 R 38.81
47.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 zł 8.26
$1.27 R 20.84
66.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 zł 6.14
$0.94 R 15.37
67.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 zł 11.68
$2.96 R 48.48
1.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 zł 14.55
$3.69 R 60.5
0.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 zł 3.65
$1.32 R 21.61
-29.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 zł 4.18
$1.21 R 19.75
-11.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 zł 5.19
$2.20 R 36.05
-39.55%
Eggs
$2.90 zł 11.35
$3.10 R 50.8
-6.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.76 zł 30.33
$8.73 R 143
-11.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.90 zł 23.09
$6.89 R 113
-14.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 zł 45.00
$9.26 R 152
24.19%
Apples (1kg)
$1.07 zł 4.17
$1.83 R 29.90
-41.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 zł 6.38
$1.95 R 31.94
-16.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 zł 6.08
$1.66 R 27.16
-6.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 zł 11.27
$2.14 R 34.99
34.58%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 zł 3.02
$1.58 R 25.86
-51.27%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 zł 3.65
$1.47 R 24.15
-36.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 zł 5.32
$1.35 R 22.05
0.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 zł 2.10
$1.14 R 18.75
-52.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.44 zł 17.36
$3.58 R 58.6
24.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.58 zł 25.73
$6.05 R 99.2
8.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 zł 4.26
$1.39 R 22.82
-21.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 zł 6.78
$2.18 R 35.69
-20.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.30 zł 5.10
$1.40 R 22.88
-7.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.17 zł 102
$60.8 R 995
-56.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.80 zł 7.04
$0.93 R 15.18
93.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 zł 2.69
$0.90 R 14.75
-23.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.49 zł 25.39
$4.96 R 81.3
30.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.61 zł 6.29
$1.54 R 25.23
4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K zł 116.7K
$35.4K R 579.4K
-15.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K zł 106.9K
$33.4K R 546.7K
-18.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 zł 724
$117 R 1,918
58.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.81 zł 34.46
$25.71 R 421
-65.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.42 zł 68.2
$39.41 R 646
-55.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.01 zł 153
$51.6 R 846
-24.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.85 zł 85.5
$11.35 R 186
92.51%
Cinema Ticket
$7.44 zł 29.12
$8.89 R 146
-16.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$244 zł 953
$308 R 5,040
-20.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,114 zł 20.0K
$8,141 R 133.4K
-37.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.2 zł 286
$57.4 R 940
27.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 zł 149
$31.75 R 520
20.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.7 zł 327
$116 R 1,900
-27.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 zł 378
$101 R 1,650
-4.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 zł 2,318
$1,047 R 17.1K
-43.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$400 zł 1,565
$669 R 11.0K
-40.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$845 zł 3,305
$1,861 R 30.5K
-54.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 zł 2,364
$1,407 R 23.1K
-57.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,313 zł 13.0K
$2,410 R 39.5K
37.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 zł 8,723
$1,570 R 25.7K
42.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Torun
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,721 zł 6,731
$1,630 R 26.7K
5.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.21
10.89
-42.98%

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

Last update for Torun: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Torun
$400
Cape Town
$669 67.3% $269
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Torun
$211
Cape Town
$182 13.8% $29
Groceries & Markets
Torun
$198
Cape Town
$223 12.7% $25
Eating Out
Torun
$179
Cape Town
$174 2.6% $4.6
Clothing & Footwear
Torun
$131
Cape Town
$138 4.9% $6.4
Sport & Entertainment
Torun
$54
Cape Town
$69 28.7% $15
Getting Around
Torun
$37
Cape Town
$72 96% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $593 in Torun 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 run about 6% higher in Torun, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Torun versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Torun vs $223 in Cape Town – so Torun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇱 Torun
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
01:14 1:14 AM
02:14 2:14 AM
1 h ahead of Torun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
196,935
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.39 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Torun Cape Town 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Torun
  • 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
Torun vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Torun or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 26% more than Torun, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Torun and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,815 per month in Torun and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Torun or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Torun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Torun compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Torun and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Torun about 21% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Torun compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 57% less in Torun. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Torun or in Cape Town?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Torun, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Torun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Torun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Torun vs other spots: cost of living compared

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