Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Catania

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Catania: $1,527 and $1,543 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,543 in Catania, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Catania $1,543

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,356 in Catania, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Catania $2,356

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,170 in Catania, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Catania $3,170

Cape Town and Catania have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cape Town and Catania sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Catania by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$16.58 €14.77

-27.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$56.1 €49.92

-23.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.38 €10.13

-45.96%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.10 €1.87

12.86%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.95 €2.63

-56.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.07 €1.84

-54.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$6.80 €6.06

-56.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.10 €3.65

-10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.22 €1.08

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.61 €1.43

-24.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.63 €2.34

-16.35%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.42 €3.05

-9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$11.16 €9.93

-21.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.02 €10.71

-42.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$15.35 €13.67

-39.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.12 €1.89

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.68 €1.50

16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.58 €1.41

5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.96 €2.64

-27.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.77 €1.57

-10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.30 €1.16

13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.25 €1.11

8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.43 €0.39

165.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.77 €6.03

-47.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.60 €6.77

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.76 €1.57

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.61 €1.43

35.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.60 €1.43

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$39.08 €34.80

55.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$4.37 €3.89

-78.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.78 €1.58

-49.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$28.85 €25.69

-82.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.06 €1.83

-25.24%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$36.5K €32.5K

-3.15%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$37.3K €33.3K

-10.64%

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

$117 R 1,929

$304 €271

-61.50%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.34 €9.21

148.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$35.60 €31.70

10.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$54.4 €48.43

-5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$14.46 €12.88

-21.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.09 €8.09

-2.20%

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

$308 R 5,069

$446 €397

-31.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$6,235 €5,552

30.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$83.8 €74.7

-31.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$33.65 €29.96

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$85.3 €76.0

35.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$129 €115

-21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$657 €585

59.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$379 €337

76.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,108 €986

67.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$754 €671

86.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,066 €1,840

16.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,443 €1,285

8.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,738 €1,548

-6.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.55

206.76%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Catania: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Catania

$379 24.6% 43.4% $291

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Catania

$279 18.1% 25.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Catania

$350 22.7% 92.1% $168

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Catania

$254 16.5% 46.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Catania

$149 9.7% 8.5% $12

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Catania

$59 3.8% 18.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Catania

$73 4.7% 4.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $657 in Catania. 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 7% higher in Catania. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $56 in Catania. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $279 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

298,037

💱 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 Catania 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,314 in Catania. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Catania, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $657 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Catania, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $446 in Catania. 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 $1,543 in Catania. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,543 in Catania. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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