Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bologna

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,156 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,156 in Bologna, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Bologna $2,156

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,338 in Bologna, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Bologna $3,338

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,520 in Bologna, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Bologna $4,520

Cape Town is about 29% cheaper than Bologna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Bologna sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Bologna by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$22.34 €19.99

-46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$88.8 €79.4

-51.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.33 €11.92

-53.86%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.27 €2.03

4.41%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$3.60 €3.22

-64.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.79 €1.60

-47.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$6.61 €5.92

-55.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$5.65 €5.06

-34.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.35 €1.21

-2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$3.05 €2.73

-60.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.92 €2.61

-24.66%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.96 €3.55

-21.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$20.24 €18.11

-56.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.36 €11.06

-44.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$20.73 €18.55

-55.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.46 €2.20

-25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.39 €2.14

-18.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.62 €2.34

-36.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$3.44 €3.08

-37.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.93 €1.73

-18.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.80 €1.61

-18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.39 €1.24

-2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.58 €0.52

96.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$6.93 €6.20

-48.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.95 €7.11

-23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.99 €1.78

-30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$2.79 €2.50

-21.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$2.49 €2.23

-43.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$44.07 €39.43

37.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$4.46 €3.99

-79.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.65 €1.48

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$32.70 €29.26

-84.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$2.15 €1.92

-28.37%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$35.5K €31.8K

-0.48%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$37.9K €33.9K

-11.94%

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

$117 R 1,935

$236 €211

-50.38%

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

$25.71 R 425

$11.14 €9.96

130.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$30.64 €27.41

28.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$60.3 €54.0

-14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$26.58 €23.79

-57.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$10.27 €9.19

-13.44%

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

$308 R 5,085

$765 €685

-59.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$23.8K €21.3K

-65.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$92.0 €82.3

-37.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$46.57 €41.67

-31.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$123 €110

-5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$146 €131

-31.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$1,152 €1,031

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$871 €780

-23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$2,111 €1,889

-11.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$1,564 €1,400

-10.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$5,079 €4,545

-52.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,636 €3,253

-56.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,166 €1,939

-24.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.19

241.38%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bologna: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Bologna

$871 40.4% 30.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Bologna

$364 16.9% 63.1% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Bologna

$278 12.9% 52.4% $96

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Bologna

$312 14.5% 79.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Bologna

$183 8.5% 33.3% $46

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Bologna

$67 3.1% 7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Bologna

$81 3.8% 16.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,152 in Bologna. 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 33% higher in Bologna, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $89 in Bologna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $364 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Bologna

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

386,663

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bologna 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bologna

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 Bologna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bologna costs about 41% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $3,234 in Bologna. 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 $1,152 in Bologna. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Bologna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $765 in Bologna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,156 in Bologna. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bologna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.