Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arta

For one person, living is cheaper in Arta: $1,356 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Arta
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Arta Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Arta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,356 in Arta, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Arta $1,356

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,017 in Arta, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Arta $2,017

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,678 in Arta, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Arta $2,678

Cape Town costs about 17% more than Arta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Arta sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Arta by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 201

$11.26 €10.04

7.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 749

$44.58 €39.75

1.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 97.2

$9.88 €8.81

-40.49%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.29

$4.08 €3.64

-38.73%

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

$1.27 R 21.00

$2.91 €2.60

-56.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.19

$0.58 €0.52

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.47

$5.35 €4.77

-44.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.5

$6.32 €5.64

-41.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.46

$1.25 €1.11

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.73

$1.09 €0.97

14.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.87

$0.93 €0.83

139.78%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.4

$3.36 €3.00

-7.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 150

$13.49 €12.02

-32.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$11.37 €10.14

-39.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 154

$11.11 €9.90

-16.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.34

$1.02 €0.91

80.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.38

$1.24 €1.11

58.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$1.26 €1.12

32.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.80

$1.02 €0.91

112.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.89

$1.24 €1.11

26.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.52

$1.10 €0.98

34.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.47

$0.75 €0.67

73.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.66

$0.19 €0.17

494.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.5

$5.00 €4.46

-28.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 102

$4.39 €3.92

40.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$0.92 €0.82

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.21 €1.97

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.72

$1.22 €1.09

22.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$49.83 €44.43

21.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.74

$4.09 €3.64

-85.57%

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

$16.83 €15.00

-69.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.57

$2.00 €1.78

-22.50%

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

$36.2K R 598.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

28.48%

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

$31.2K R 516.2K

$31.1K €27.8K

0.35%

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

$114 R 1,889

$214 €191

-46.51%

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

$28.91 R 478

$22.88 €20.40

26.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 656

$24.68 €22.00

60.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 810

$46.74 €41.67

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

$25.30 €22.56

-56.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.15 €9.05

-9.85%

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

$259 R 4,276

$481 €429

-46.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 112.2K

$9,156 €8,163

-25.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 928

$90.1 €80.3

-37.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 535

$27.47 €24.49

17.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,993

$77.9 €69.4

54.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,786

$90.8 €81.0

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

$479 €427

113.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$389 €347

84.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$741 €660

146.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$622 €555

113.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.5K

$2,655 €2,367

-9.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.5K

$1,922 €1,713

-19.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

$892 €795

83.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.34

105.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Arta

$389 28.7% 45.7% $328

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Arta

$223 16.5% 0.9% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Arta

$261 19.3% 42.8% $78

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Arta

$222 16.4% 26.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Arta

$129 9.5% 9.8% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Arta

$64 4.7% 14.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Arta

$67 4.9% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $479 in Arta. 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 84% 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 $45.00 in Arta. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $223 in Arta – so Arta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Arta

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

19,435

💱 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

Lowest

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Between locations

Cape Town Arta 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arta

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 Arta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,033 in Arta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $481 in Arta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Arta, where all-in costs run around $1,356, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Arta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arta – 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 Arta. 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.