Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,807 in Cagliari, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cagliari, Italy
Cape Town, South Africa
Cagliari
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,807
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,807 per month in Cagliari vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Cagliari $1,807
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,770 per month in Cagliari vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Cagliari $2,770
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Cagliari vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Cagliari $3,733
  • Cape Town $3,306

Cagliari costs about 18% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagliari and Cape Town sit above the global median – Cagliari by 34%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.44 €19.98
$12.01 R 198
86.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.6 €77.1
$42.92 R 707
101.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.00 €9.80
$6.15 R 101
78.86%
Cappuccino
$2.11 €1.88
$2.37 R 39.04
-10.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 €2.82
$1.27 R 20.96
149.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 €1.35
$0.94 R 15.46
61.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.45 €4.86
$2.96 R 48.77
84.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 €4.39
$3.69 R 60.8
33.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 €1.41
$1.32 R 21.73
20.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 €2.44
$1.21 R 19.87
126.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.90 €2.58
$2.20 R 36.26
31.82%
Eggs
$3.74 €3.33
$3.10 R 51.1
20.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.15 €17.94
$8.73 R 144
130.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.12 €10.79
$6.89 R 114
75.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.16 €19.73
$9.26 R 153
139.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 €2.42
$1.83 R 30.08
48.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 €1.66
$1.95 R 32.12
-4.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.66 R 27.32
38.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.51 €3.13
$2.14 R 35.19
64.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.58 R 26.01
17.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.47 R 24.29
57.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.35 R 22.18
8.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 €0.52
$1.14 R 18.85
-49.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.33 €6.52
$3.58 R 59.0
104.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.55 €7.61
$6.05 R 99.7
41.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.39 R 22.95
13.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.18 R 35.90
-16.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.40 R 23.02
5.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.09 €33.92
$60.8 R 1,001
-37.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.62 €6.78
$0.93 R 15.26
719.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.27 €1.13
$0.90 R 14.83
41.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.20 €26.89
$4.96 R 81.7
508.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.54 R 25.37
35.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K €32.4K
$35.4K R 582.8K
2.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.3K €33.2K
$33.4K R 549.9K
11.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 €139
$117 R 1,929
33.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.10 €8.10
$25.71 R 424
-64.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.66 €26.41
$39.41 R 649
-24.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.29 €42.11
$51.6 R 850
-8.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.61 €21.91
$11.35 R 187
116.83%
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 €10.07
$8.89 R 146
27.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$518 €462
$308 R 5,069
68.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K €9,218
$8,141 R 134.2K
27.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.7 €86.1
$57.4 R 946
68.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.09 €37.47
$31.75 R 523
32.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.1 €82.9
$116 R 1,911
-19.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 €102
$101 R 1,660
13.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$871 €775
$1,047 R 17.2K
-16.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 €600
$669 R 11.0K
0.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,404 €1,251
$1,861 R 30.7K
-24.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 €900
$1,407 R 23.2K
-28.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,391 €3,020
$2,410 R 39.7K
40.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,432 €2,166
$1,570 R 25.9K
54.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cagliari
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,804 €1,607
$1,630 R 26.9K
10.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.27
10.89
-69.97%

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

Last update for Cagliari: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cagliari
$673
Cape Town
$669 0.6% $4.3
Groceries & Markets
Cagliari
$361
Cape Town
$223 38.1% $137
Eating Out
Cagliari
$294
Cape Town
$174 40.8% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagliari
$195
Cape Town
$182 6.6% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Cagliari
$156
Cape Town
$138 11.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Cagliari
$70
Cape Town
$69 0.7% $0.5
Getting Around
Cagliari
$58
Cape Town
$72 23.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $871 in Cagliari 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 11% higher in Cagliari, 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 $87 in Cagliari versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Cagliari
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
03:57 3:57 AM
04:57 4:57 AM
1 h ahead of Cagliari
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
154,478
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cagliari Cape Town 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cagliari
  • 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
Cagliari vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cape Town cheaper than Cagliari?
Yes – Cagliari is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Cagliari and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cagliari, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $871 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $518 per month in Cagliari and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Cagliari or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,807 in Cagliari and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,807 in Cagliari. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cagliari makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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