Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,646 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Budva despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,646 in Budva, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Budva $1,646

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,633 in Budva, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Budva $2,633

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,620 in Budva, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Budva $3,620

Cape Town is about 7% cheaper than Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Budva sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Budva by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$15.41 €13.72

-22.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$77.3 €68.8

-44.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.52 €12.04

-54.51%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.57 €3.18

-33.61%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.51 €2.23

-49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.59 €1.42

-40.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$4.73 €4.21

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.42 €3.93

-16.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.24 €1.11

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.02 €0.91

18.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.02 €1.80

8.91%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.14 €2.80

-1.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.09 €8.10

-3.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$9.32 €8.30

-26.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.23 €10.89

-24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.34 €1.19

36.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.75 €1.56

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.49 €1.33

11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.88 €2.56

-25.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.89 €0.79

77.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.08 €0.96

36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.65 €1.47

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.09 €0.97

4.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$4.41 €3.93

-18.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.69 €7.73

-30.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.14 €1.01

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.80 €1.60

21.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.35 €2.98

-58.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$38.88 €34.61

56.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.14 €1.01

-18.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.13 €1.01

-20.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$16.87 €15.02

-70.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.88 €1.67

-18.09%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$28.6K €25.4K

23.84%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$26.0K €23.1K

28.49%

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

$117 R 1,929

$161 €144

-27.44%

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

$25.71 R 424

$14.68 €13.07

75.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$33.19 €29.55

18.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$62.2 €55.4

-16.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$21.51 €19.15

-47.23%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$5.97 €5.31

48.91%

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

$308 R 5,069

$401 €357

-23.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$10.2K €9,074

-20.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$103 €91.8

-44.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$45.19 €40.24

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$106 €94.7

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$180 €160

-44.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$833 €742

25.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$610 €543

9.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,698 €1,512

9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,207 €1,074

16.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,077 €3,631

-40.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,994 €2,666

-47.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,016 €905

60.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.95

83.03%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Budva: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Budva

$610 37.1% 8.9% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Budva

$243 14.7% 8.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Budva

$209 12.7% 14.8% $27

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Budva

$256 15.5% 46.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Budva

$196 11.9% 42.2% $58

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Budva

$59 3.6% 17.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Budva

$74 4.5% 6.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $833 in Budva. 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 60% 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 $77 in Budva. 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

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

13,338

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 Budva 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Budva

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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $1,646 in Budva – Cape Town comes out roughly 7% 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 $2,469 in Budva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budva, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $833 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,646 in Budva. That makes Cape Town about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Budva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,646 in Budva. 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 $1,646 in Budva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.