Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,915 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Wels
Learn more

Wels Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,915

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,915 per month in Wels vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wels $1,915
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,829 per month in Wels vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wels $2,829
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,742 per month in Wels vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wels $3,742
Cape Town $3,306

Wels costs about 25% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wels and Cape Town sit above the global median – Wels by 42%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €14.98

$12.01 R 198

40.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 €74.0

$42.92 R 707

93.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$6.15 R 101

84.07%

Cappuccino

$4.28 €3.81

$2.37 R 39.04

80.59%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$1.27 R 20.96

165.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 €2.64

$0.94 R 15.46

214.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €4.99

$2.96 R 48.77

89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.09

$3.69 R 60.8

54.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.32 R 21.73

19.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.21 R 19.87

95.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.20 R 36.26

-19.09%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.53

$3.10 R 51.1

28.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.95 €19.54

$8.73 R 144

151.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$6.89 R 114

91.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 €19.13

$9.26 R 153

132.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.83 R 30.08

61.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.95 R 32.12

-5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.66 R 27.32

66.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.14 R 35.19

27.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.58 R 26.01

59.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.47 R 24.29

11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.35 R 22.18

65.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.14 R 18.85

-34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 €6.47

$3.58 R 59.0

102.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 €8.07

$6.05 R 99.7

49.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.39 R 22.95

-45.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.18 R 35.90

3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.40 R 23.02

86.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.68 €34.44

$60.8 R 1,001

-36.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$0.93 R 15.26

506.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.90 R 14.83

175.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.06 €27.66

$4.96 R 81.7

526.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.54 R 25.37

27.92%

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

$30.8K €27.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-12.99%

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

$30.5K €27.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-8.53%

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

$338 €301

$117 R 1,929

188.58%

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

$14.02 €12.49

$25.71 R 424

-45.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 €33.86

$39.41 R 649

-3.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.18 €40.23

$51.6 R 850

-12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.93 €30.21

$11.35 R 187

198.94%

Cinema Ticket

$13.25 €11.80

$8.89 R 146

49.04%

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

$1,306 €1,163

$308 R 5,069

324.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K €13.8K

$8,141 R 134.2K

89.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 €75.2

$57.4 R 946

47.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 €53.8

$31.75 R 523

90.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.5

$116 R 1,911

-3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$101 R 1,660

25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €592

$1,047 R 17.2K

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 €503

$669 R 11.0K

-15.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$953 €849

$1,861 R 30.7K

-48.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 €703

$1,407 R 23.2K

-43.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,071 €3,624

$2,410 R 39.7K

68.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,535 €3,148

$1,570 R 25.9K

125.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 €2,798

$1,630 R 26.9K

92.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.89

-67.86%

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

Last update for Wels: 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

Wels

$565 29.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 18.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$390 20.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 53.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$364 19%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.7% $141

Eating Out

Wels

$285 14.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 38.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$172 9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 20.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$72 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 3.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 6.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $665 in Wels 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 93% higher in Wels. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Wels versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

1 h ahead of Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wels Cape Town 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

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

Wels costs about 25% 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 $2,872 per month in Wels 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 Wels, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $665 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,915 in Wels and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Wels. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,915 in Wels and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,915 in Wels. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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