Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Argostoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Argostoli: $1,358 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
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Argostoli Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,358 in Argostoli, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Argostoli $1,358

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,073 in Argostoli, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Argostoli $2,073

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,789 in Argostoli, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Argostoli $2,789

Cape Town costs about 17% more than Argostoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Argostoli sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Argostoli by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 201

$11.28 €10.06

7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 749

$58.1 €51.8

-21.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 97.2

$9.18 €8.18

-35.95%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.29

$4.29 €3.82

-41.72%

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

$1.27 R 21.00

$2.34 €2.09

-45.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.19

$0.54 €0.48

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.47

$4.53 €4.04

-34.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.5

$4.47 €3.99

-16.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.46

$1.55 €1.38

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.73

$1.42 €1.27

-11.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.87

$2.41 €2.15

-7.47%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.4

$5.14 €4.58

-39.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 150

$11.30 €10.07

-19.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.76 €8.70

-29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 154

$14.28 €12.73

-34.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.34

$2.29 €2.04

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.38

$2.21 €1.97

-11.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$1.76 €1.57

-5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.80

$1.97 €1.75

10.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.89

$1.11 €0.99

41.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.52

$1.26 €1.12

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.47

$0.89 €0.80

46.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.66

$0.83 €0.74

36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.5

$5.25 €4.68

-31.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 102

$6.86 €6.12

-10.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$1.65 €1.47

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.30

$3.42 €3.05

-37.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.72

$1.40 €1.25

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$43.58 €38.86

39.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.74

$4.42 €3.94

-86.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.72

$1.09 €0.97

37.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.4

$13.82 €12.32

-63.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.57

$2.21 €1.97

-29.86%

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

$36.2K R 598.2K

$27.7K €24.7K

30.53%

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

$31.2K R 516.2K

$23.7K €21.1K

32.06%

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

$114 R 1,889

$161 €143

-28.83%

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

$28.91 R 478

$24.63 €21.96

17.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 656

$28.27 €25.21

40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 810

$51.2 €45.62

-4.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

$25.18 €22.45

-56.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.09 €8.10

0.66%

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

$259 R 4,276

$476 €424

-45.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 112.2K

$4,442 €3,961

52.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 928

$69.1 €61.6

-18.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 535

$35.94 €32.05

-9.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,993

$74.8 €66.7

61.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,786

$109 €97.3

-0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

$477 €425

114.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$398 €355

79.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$733 €654

148.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$613 €546

116.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.5K

$2,612 €2,329

-8.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.5K

$2,176 €1,940

-29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

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 Argostoli: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Argostoli

$398 29.3% 44.4% $319

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Argostoli

$275 20.3% 22.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Argostoli

$214 15.7% 16.7% $31

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Argostoli

$212 15.6% 20.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Argostoli

$130 9.6% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Argostoli

$59 4.4% 21.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Argostoli

$69 5.1% 3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $477 in Argostoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $58.0 in Argostoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $275 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Argostoli 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Argostoli

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 Argostoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,037 in Argostoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $58.0 in Argostoli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Argostoli, where all-in costs run around $1,358, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Argostoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Argostoli. 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.