Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hvar

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Hvar: $1,556 and $1,522 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

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

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,522 in Hvar, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Hvar $1,522

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,310 in Hvar, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Hvar $2,310

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,097 in Hvar, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Hvar $3,097

Cape Town costs about 2% more than Hvar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Hvar sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Hvar by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$13.08 €11.75

-7.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$72.8 €65.4

-39.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$9.13 €8.20

-32.64%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$2.53 €2.27

-6.72%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$3.12 €2.80

-59.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$2.28 €2.05

-56.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$3.54 €3.18

-12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$4.09 €3.68

-9.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.19 €1.07

12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.54 €1.39

-22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$2.99 €2.69

-29.77%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$3.88 €3.49

-21.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$10.69 €9.60

-18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$9.48 €8.52

-26.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$11.72 €10.53

-19.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$1.72 €1.55

9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.67 €1.50

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$1.99 €1.79

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$2.57 €2.31

-20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.29 €1.16

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.28 €1.15

15.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.27 €1.14

0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.20 €1.08

-0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$5.73 €5.14

-36.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$6.89 €6.19

-10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.50 €1.35

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.99 €1.79

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.76 €1.58

-22.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$43.21 €38.82

41.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$3.08 €2.77

-81.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$1.11 €1.00

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$8.80 €7.91

-44.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$1.78 €1.60

-11.24%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$38.2K €34.3K

-9.21%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$26.6K €23.9K

28.38%

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

$117 R 1,948

$190 €170

-38.39%

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

$28.35 R 472

$22.50 €20.21

26.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$31.64 €28.42

28.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$50.5 €45.37

-3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$14.55 €13.07

-25.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$8.86 €7.96

2.82%

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

$302 R 5,032

$243 €218

24.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$8,090 €7,267

-16.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$94.0 €84.4

-41.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$39.00 €35.03

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$105 €94.2

12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$106 €94.8

-1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$681 €612

52.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$526 €473

31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,116 €1,002

77.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$828 €744

67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$4,155 €3,733

-41.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$3,241 €2,911

-52.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.35

152.18%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Hvar

$526 34.6% 23.8% $164

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Hvar

$260 17.1% 16.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Hvar

$244 16% 31.2% $58

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Hvar

$210 13.8% 19.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Hvar

$155 10.2% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Hvar

$59 3.9% 21.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Hvar

$68 4.5% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $681 in Hvar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $73 in Hvar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $260 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇷 Hvar

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,979

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Hvar 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hvar

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 Hvar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 2% more than Hvar, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,283 in Hvar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hvar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,522 in Hvar. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Hvar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,522 in Hvar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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