Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Alytus

For one person, living is cheaper in Alytus: $1,318 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Alytus
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Alytus Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Alytus

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Alytus actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,318 in Alytus, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Alytus $1,318

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,013 in Alytus, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Alytus $2,013

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,708 in Alytus, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Alytus $2,708

Cape Town costs about 20% more than Alytus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Alytus is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$12.17 €10.83

-0.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$51.1 €45.44

-11.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.68 €5.94

-11.98%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.20 €2.85

-21.88%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.73 €2.42

-53.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.94 €1.73

-49.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$4.91 €4.37

-39.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.91 €4.36

-24.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.26 €1.12

3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.79 €1.59

24.58%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.83 €2.52

9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.87 €8.78

-8.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.68 €5.05

21.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.76 €8.68

-4.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.63 €1.45

12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.39 €1.23

41.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.70 €1.51

-1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.03 €2.69

-28.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.77 €0.69

103.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.91 €0.81

62.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.54 €1.37

-15.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.84 €0.74

34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.60 €4.98

-35.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.35 €7.43

-26.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.66 €1.47

-16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.75 €1.55

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.15 €1.02

30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$29.92 €26.62

103.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.05 €2.71

-80.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.80 €0.71

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.20 €11.74

-61.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.61 €1.43

-3.73%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$27.4K €24.3K

32.31%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$28.6K €25.4K

9.24%

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

$114 R 1,883

$204 €182

-44.08%

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

$28.91 R 476

$14.97 €13.32

93.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$11.27 €10.03

252.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$39.44 €35.08

24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$9.97 €8.87

10.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.47 €6.64

22.49%

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

$259 R 4,264

$473 €420

-45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,385 €8,348

-27.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$132 €118

-57.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$63.4 €56.4

-48.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$79.8 €71.0

51.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$183 €163

-40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$539 €479

89.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$356 €317

101.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$836 €744

118.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$623 €554

113.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,394 €1,240

71.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,007 €896

53.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,214 €1,080

34.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.97

176.32%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alytus: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Alytus

$356 27% 50.3% $361

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Alytus

$220 16.7% 2.1% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Alytus

$231 17.5% 26.1% $48

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Alytus

$209 15.8% 18.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Alytus

$206 15.7% 44.6% $64

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Alytus

$42 3.2% 44.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Alytus

$54 4.1% 19.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $539 in Alytus. 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 35% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $51.0 in Alytus. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $220 in Alytus – so Alytus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇹 Alytus

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

59,964

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Alytus 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Alytus

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 Alytus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $1,318 in Alytus – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,977 in Alytus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 103% less in Alytus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $473 in Alytus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Alytus, where all-in costs run around $1,318, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Alytus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,318 in Alytus to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Alytus. 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.