Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,156 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,156

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,156 per month in Bologna vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bologna $2,156
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,338 per month in Bologna vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bologna $3,338
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,520 per month in Bologna vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bologna $4,520
Cape Town $3,306

Bologna costs about 41% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bologna and Cape Town sit above the global median – Bologna by 59%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.99

$12.01 R 199

86.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 €79.4

$42.92 R 709

106.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.92

$6.15 R 102

116.75%

Cappuccino

$2.27 €2.03

$2.37 R 39.16

-4.22%

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

$3.60 €3.22

$1.27 R 21.03

183.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.94 R 15.50

90.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.92

$2.96 R 48.92

123.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.06

$3.69 R 61.0

53.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.32 R 21.80

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.21 R 19.93

152.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.61

$2.20 R 36.37

32.73%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.55

$3.10 R 51.3

27.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.24 €18.11

$8.73 R 144

131.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.36 €11.06

$6.89 R 114

79.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.73 €18.55

$9.26 R 153

123.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.83 R 30.17

34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.95 R 32.22

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.34

$1.66 R 27.40

57.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €3.08

$2.14 R 35.30

60.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.58 R 26.09

22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.47 R 24.37

22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.35 R 22.25

2.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.14 R 18.91

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.20

$3.58 R 59.1

93.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.95 €7.11

$6.05 R 100

31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.39 R 23.02

43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.18 R 36.01

27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$1.40 R 23.09

77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.07 €39.43

$60.8 R 1,004

-27.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.99

$0.93 R 15.31

379.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.90 R 14.88

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.70 €29.26

$4.96 R 82.0

559.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.54 R 25.45

39.61%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$35.4K R 584.6K

0.48%

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

$37.9K €33.9K

$33.4K R 551.6K

13.56%

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

$236 €211

$117 R 1,935

101.52%

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

$11.14 €9.96

$25.71 R 425

-56.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.41

$39.41 R 651

-22.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 €54.0

$51.6 R 853

16.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.58 €23.79

$11.35 R 188

134.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.27 €9.19

$8.89 R 147

15.52%

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

$765 €685

$308 R 5,085

148.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K €21.3K

$8,141 R 134.6K

191.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.0 €82.3

$57.4 R 948

60.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.57 €41.67

$31.75 R 525

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$116 R 1,917

5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €131

$101 R 1,665

45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,031

$1,047 R 17.3K

10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 €780

$669 R 11.1K

30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 €1,889

$1,861 R 30.8K

13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 €1,400

$1,407 R 23.3K

11.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,545

$2,410 R 39.8K

110.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,636 €3,253

$1,570 R 25.9K

131.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,166 €1,939

$1,630 R 26.9K

32.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

10.89

-70.71%

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

Last update for Bologna: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bologna

$871 40.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 23.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$364 16.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.7% $141

Eating Out

Bologna

$312 14.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 44.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$278 12.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 34.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$81 3.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 14.2% $11

Getting Around

Bologna

$67 3.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 7.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,152 in Bologna 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 33% higher in Bologna, 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 $89 in Bologna 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

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

1 h ahead of Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

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 = 5.39 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 = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bologna Cape Town 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
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

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

Bologna costs about 41% 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 $3,234 per month in Bologna 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 $1,152 in Bologna and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Bologna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $765 per month in Bologna and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,156 in Bologna and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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