Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Argos and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Argos: $1,218 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Argos
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Argos Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Argos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,218

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Argos vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Argos $1,218
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,812 per month in Argos vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Argos $1,812
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Argos vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Argos $2,407
Cape Town $3,263

Argos is about 23% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Argos sits 10% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 €10.09

$12.14 R 200

-6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.38 €32.36

$45.34 R 747

-19.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 €6.93

$5.88 R 96.9

32.65%

Cappuccino

$2.54 €2.26

$2.50 R 41.18

1.60%

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

$1.64 €1.46

$1.27 R 20.94

29.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.56

$0.98 R 16.14

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.99 R 49.33

-9.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.06

$3.72 R 61.4

-7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.30 R 21.40

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.25 R 20.68

16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.23 R 36.76

-26.46%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.85

$3.11 R 51.2

3.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 €10.13

$9.06 R 149

25.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 €5.85

$6.92 R 114

-4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.90 €7.92

$9.30 R 153

-4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.84 R 30.25

-22.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.96 R 32.29

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 €0.85

$1.67 R 27.45

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.17 R 35.70

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.57 R 25.81

-37.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.48 R 24.45

-26.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.30 R 21.41

-41.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.13 R 18.60

-52.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 €4.16

$3.60 R 59.3

30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$6.15 R 101

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.38 R 22.66

19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.14 R 35.20

53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.50 R 24.65

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.40 €37.72

$60.8 R 1,001

-30.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.92

$0.59 R 9.71

645.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.50 R 24.65

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 €12.54

$5.11 R 84.2

175.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.55 R 25.50

26.45%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-23.03%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-24.09%

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

$160 €142

$114 R 1,883

39.96%

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

$21.50 €19.13

$28.91 R 476

-25.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.03 €24.94

$39.73 R 654

-29.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €49.84

$49.01 R 808

14.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 €22.71

$10.99 R 181

132.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 €7.88

$9.15 R 151

-3.17%

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

$480 €427

$259 R 4,264

85.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 €3,944

$6,794 R 111.9K

-34.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 €60.1

$56.2 R 926

20.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.82 €31.86

$32.41 R 534

10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 €67.3

$121 R 1,987

-37.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 €50.6

$108 R 1,781

-47.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 €434

$1,021 R 16.8K

-52.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 €344

$717 R 11.8K

-46.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 €671

$1,824 R 30.1K

-58.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €555

$1,327 R 21.9K

-53.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,985 €2,656

$2,391 R 39.4K

24.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 €1,677

$1,542 R 25.4K

22.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 €625

$1,639 R 27.0K

-57.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

10.97

-60.26%

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

Last update for Argos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Argos

$387 31.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 85.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Argos

$210 17.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 6.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Argos

$210 17.2%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 12.7% $27

Eating Out

Argos

$174 14.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 1.2% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Argos

$106 8.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 34.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Argos

$74 6.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 8.7% $6.4

Getting Around

Argos

$58 4.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 29.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Argos versus $1,021 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 133% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Argos versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $225 – making Argos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Argos

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Argos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,209

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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Argos Cape Town 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Argos
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

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

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Argos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,827 per month in Argos and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Argos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,218 in Argos and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Argos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Argos, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Argos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Argos costs $1,218 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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