Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,908 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,908 in Balzan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Balzan $1,908

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,889 in Balzan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Balzan $2,889

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,870 in Balzan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Balzan $3,870

Cape Town is about 20% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Balzan sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Balzan by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$18.29 €16.28

-34.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$88.9 €79.1

-51.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.99 €10.67

-48.71%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.13 €2.78

-24.28%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.97 €1.76

-35.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.02 €0.91

-7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.31 €2.95

-10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.58 €2.30

43.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.22 €1.08

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.96 €0.86

26.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.42 €3.04

-35.67%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.34 €3.86

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.46 €9.31

-16.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$8.96 €7.98

-23.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.54 €11.16

-26.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.50 €2.22

-26.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.96 €1.75

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.71 €1.52

-2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.15 €1.02

86.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.93 €0.83

69.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.90 €0.80

63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.87 €0.77

55.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.98 €0.87

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.11 €5.44

-41.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.91 €5.27

2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.09 €0.97

27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.44 €1.28

51.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.11 €2.77

-54.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.25 €2.01

-58.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.81 €1.61

-50.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$33.12 €29.49

-85.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.46 €1.30

5.48%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$27.6K €24.6K

28.13%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$32.4K €28.9K

2.85%

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

$117 R 1,929

$156 €139

-24.76%

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

$25.71 R 424

$20.31 €18.09

26.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$28.78 €25.62

36.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$65.1 €58.0

-20.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$27.79 €24.75

-59.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$11.21 €9.98

-20.70%

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

$308 R 5,069

$282 €251

9.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$12.2K €10.9K

-33.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$57.9 €51.6

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$67.6 €60.2

-53.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$114 €101

1.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$128 €114

-21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,139 €1,014

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$930 €828

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,773 €1,579

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,484 €1,321

-5.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,921 €3,491

-38.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,936 €2,615

-46.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,004 €894

62.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.05

168.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Balzan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Balzan

$930 48.7% 39% $261

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Balzan

$243 12.8% 9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Balzan

$205 10.7% 12.3% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Balzan

$253 13.3% 45.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Balzan

$166 8.7% 20.3% $28

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 66.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Balzan

$88 4.6% 26.1% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,139 in Balzan. 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 62% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $89 in Balzan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $243 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

4,700

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Balzan 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Balzan

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 Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $1,908 in Balzan – Cape Town comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,862 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,139 in Balzan. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $89 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Balzan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,908 in Balzan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,908 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.