Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zell am see and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,284 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,284 per month in Zell am see vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zell am see $2,284
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,355 per month in Zell am see vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zell am see $3,355
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,427 per month in Zell am see vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zell am see $4,427
Cape Town $3,306

Zell am see costs about 50% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zell am see and Cape Town sit above the global median – Zell am see by 69%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.15

$12.01 R 199

40.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.6

$42.92 R 709

94.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.88

$6.15 R 102

61.30%

Cappuccino

$4.18 €3.74

$2.37 R 39.16

76.37%

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

$3.43 €3.07

$1.27 R 21.03

170.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.62

$0.94 R 15.50

211.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €5.02

$2.96 R 48.92

89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.73

$3.69 R 61.0

43.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.32 R 21.80

30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.21 R 19.93

103.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.20 R 36.37

10.91%

Eggs

$4.58 €4.10

$3.10 R 51.3

47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 €19.27

$8.73 R 144

146.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.72 €11.39

$6.89 R 114

84.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.30 €19.06

$9.26 R 153

130.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$1.83 R 30.17

58.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.95 R 32.22

32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$1.66 R 27.40

106.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.14 R 35.30

85.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.58 R 26.09

56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.47 R 24.37

112.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.35 R 22.25

65.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.14 R 18.91

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 €7.08

$3.58 R 59.1

121.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 €7.86

$6.05 R 100

45.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.39 R 23.02

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.18 R 36.01

1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.40 R 23.09

97.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 €50.9

$60.8 R 1,004

-6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 €2.55

$0.93 R 15.31

206.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.82

$0.90 R 14.88

1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.99 €27.73

$4.96 R 82.0

524.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.54 R 25.45

14.29%

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

$30.4K €27.2K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-14.05%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-8.44%

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

$342 €306

$117 R 1,935

192.00%

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

$15.74 €14.08

$25.71 R 425

-38.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.72 €33.75

$39.41 R 651

-4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 €36.04

$51.6 R 853

-21.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.52 €20.15

$11.35 R 188

98.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.96

$8.89 R 147

75.48%

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

$443 €397

$308 R 5,085

44.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$8,141 R 134.6K

94.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 €75.8

$57.4 R 948

47.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 €53.7

$31.75 R 525

89.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$116 R 1,917

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$101 R 1,665

22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 €904

$1,047 R 17.3K

-3.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 €805

$669 R 11.1K

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,405

$1,861 R 30.8K

-15.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,260

$1,407 R 23.3K

0.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 €6,279

$2,410 R 39.8K

191.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,784 €5,175

$1,570 R 25.9K

268.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

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 Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zell am see

$900 39.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 25.6% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zell am see

$395 17.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 53.9% $213

Groceries & Markets

Zell am see

$391 17.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 43% $168

Eating Out

Zell am see

$279 12.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Zell am see

$171 7.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 19.8% $34

Getting Around

Zell am see

$75 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 4.8% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Zell am see

$71 3.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,011 in Zell am see 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Zell am see versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

00:58 12:58 AM

1 h ahead of Zell am see

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,131

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zell am see Cape Town 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zell am see
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

Zell am see vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zell am see costs about 50% 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 $3,426 per month in Zell am see and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,011 in Zell am see and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,284 in Zell am see and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Zell am see. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,284 in Zell am see 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 $2,284 in Zell am see. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.