Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Acharnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Acharnes: $1,298 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Acharnes
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Acharnes Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Acharnes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Acharnes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Acharnes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,298 in Acharnes.

Cape Town $1,586
Acharnes $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,986 in Acharnes.

Cape Town $2,425
Acharnes $1,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $2,674 in Acharnes.

Cape Town $3,263
Acharnes $2,674

Living in Cape Town is roughly 22% more expensive than in Acharnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Acharnes is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.35 €10.09

6.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$58.0 €51.6

-21.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.01 €8.02

-34.74%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.81 €3.39

-34.38%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.41 €2.14

-47.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.58 €0.52

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$4.54 €4.04

-34.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.92 €4.38

-24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.60 €1.42

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.47 €1.31

-14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.43 €2.16

-8.23%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$5.05 €4.49

-38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.48 €10.21

-21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.81 €8.73

-29.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.08 €12.53

-33.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.22 €1.97

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.24 €1.99

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.75 €1.56

-4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.91 €1.70

13.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.10 €0.98

42.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.30 €1.16

13.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.85 €0.76

52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.83 €0.74

36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.54 €4.04

-20.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.81 €6.06

-9.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.70 €1.51

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.44 €3.06

-37.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.29 €1.15

16.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$44.62 €39.69

36.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.58 €4.08

-87.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.14 €1.01

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$14.04 €12.49

-63.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.14 €1.91

-27.57%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$27.7K €24.6K

30.85%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$23.6K €21.0K

32.29%

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

$114 R 1,883

$138 €123

-17.33%

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

$28.91 R 476

$14.27 €12.70

102.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.18 €25.06

40.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$50.9 €45.30

-3.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$25.57 €22.74

-57.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.97 €7.98

2.01%

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

$259 R 4,264

$485 €432

-46.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,566 €4,061

48.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$22.45 €19.97

150.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$34.93 €31.07

-7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$68.2 €60.6

76.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$106 €94.4

1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$487 €433

109.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$400 €356

79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$759 €675

140.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$606 €539

118.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,964 €2,637

-19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,163 €1,924

-28.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$978 €870

67.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.36

151.61%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Acharnes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Acharnes

$400 30.9% 44.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Acharnes

$276 21.2% 22.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Acharnes

$181 13.9% 1.2% $2.2

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Acharnes

$208 16% 18.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Acharnes

$104 8% 27% $39

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Acharnes

$60 4.6% 19.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Acharnes

$69 5.3% 2.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $487 in Acharnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $58.0 in Acharnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $276 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Acharnes

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

106,943

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Acharnes 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Acharnes

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

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

Acharnes is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and utilities. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Cape Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $487 in Acharnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Acharnes – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,298 in Acharnes versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Acharnes but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Acharnes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Acharnes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cape Town, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Acharnes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.