Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,192 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,192 in Drama, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Drama $1,192

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,756 in Drama, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Drama $1,756

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,321 in Drama, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Drama $2,321

Cape Town costs about 33% more than Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Drama is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$14.56 €12.95

-16.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$43.27 €38.49

4.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.92 €8.82

-40.73%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.67 €2.38

-6.37%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.82 €2.50

-54.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.71 €0.63

38.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.41 €3.03

-12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.39 €3.91

-15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.48 €1.31

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.60 €1.43

-21.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.10 €0.98

102.73%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$5.41 €4.81

-42.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.43 €10.16

-20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.28 €8.26

-25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.01 €12.46

-33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.41 €1.25

30.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.40 €1.25

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.11 €0.99

50.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.20 €1.96

-1.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.96 €0.86

63.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.23 €1.09

20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.52 €1.36

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.70 €0.62

61.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.88 €4.34

-26.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.15 €4.58

19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.97 €0.87

42.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.92 €1.71

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.30 €3.82

-86.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.10 €0.98

36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$16.71 €14.86

-69.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.21 €1.96

-29.86%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$27.7K €24.6K

30.70%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.5K €28.0K

-0.68%

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

$114 R 1,883

$190 €169

-39.95%

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

$28.91 R 476

$22.62 €20.12

27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$30.30 €26.95

31.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$45.14 €40.15

8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.62 €6.77

20.08%

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

$259 R 4,264

$481 €428

-46.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,165 €8,152

-25.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$96.7 €86.1

-41.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$22.05 €19.61

46.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$62.2 €55.3

93.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$66.7 €59.4

61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$305 €271

234.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$300 €266

139.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$498 €443

266.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$412 €366

222.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,482 €1,318

61.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$3,288 €2,925

-53.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,133 €1,008

44.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.4

149.32%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Drama

$300 25.1% 58.2% $417

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Drama

$249 20.9% 10.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Drama

$243 20.4% 33% $60

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Drama

$218 18.3% 23.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Drama

$111 9.4% 21.9% $31

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Drama

$9.8 * 0.8% 86.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Drama

$60 5.1% 10.3% $6.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $305 in Drama. 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 45% 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 $43.00 in Drama. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $249 in Drama – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

42,501

💱 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Drama 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Drama

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 Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 33% more than Drama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,788 in Drama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,192 in Drama. That's a gap of about 33%.

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

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Drama, where all-in costs run around $1,192, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Drama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Drama costs $1,192 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Drama. 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.