Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Imperia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,678 in Imperia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Imperia despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
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Imperia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,678 in Imperia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Imperia $1,678

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,520 in Imperia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Imperia $2,520

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,361 in Imperia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Imperia $3,361

Cape Town is about 9% cheaper than Imperia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Imperia sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Imperia by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$13.61 €12.12

-11.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$61.9 €55.1

-30.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.23 €10.00

-45.24%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.75 €1.56

35.43%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.67 €3.26

-65.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.38 €1.23

-31.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$5.52 €4.91

-46.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.17 €4.60

-28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.77 €1.57

-25.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.00 €1.78

-39.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.58 €3.18

-38.55%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.00 €3.56

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.43 €11.07

-29.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.09 €10.77

-43.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$21.99 €19.58

-57.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.38 €2.12

-23.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.33 €2.07

-16.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.41 €3.04

-51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.12 €3.67

-48.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.37 €2.11

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.72 €1.53

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.21 €1.07

11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.57 €0.51

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.29 €6.49

-50.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.65 €4.14

30.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.15 €1.02

20.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.46 €2.19

-11.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.87 €1.67

-25.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$55.9 €49.78

8.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$8.06 €7.18

-88.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.20 €1.96

-59.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$56.3 €50.1

-91.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.10 €1.87

-26.67%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$36.5K €32.5K

-3.01%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$36.9K €32.8K

-9.51%

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

$117 R 1,929

$136 €121

-13.98%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.24 €9.12

151.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$28.91 €25.74

36.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$69.5 €61.9

-25.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$25.13 €22.38

-54.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$11.10 €9.88

-19.91%

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

$308 R 5,069

$956 €851

-67.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$26.0K €23.2K

-68.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$90.6 €80.7

-36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$39.90 €35.53

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$106 €94.7

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$127 €113

-20.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$795 €708

31.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$609 €543

9.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,677 €1,493

10.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$886 €789

58.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,806 €2,498

-14.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,014 €1,793

-22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,745 €1,553

-6.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.17

243.53%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Imperia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Imperia

$609 36.3% 8.9% $60

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Imperia

$334 19.9% 49.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Imperia

$175 10.4% 3.8% $6.9

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Imperia

$222 13.2% 27.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Imperia

$164 9.8% 19% $26

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Imperia

$82 4.9% 14.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Imperia

$92 5.5% 32.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $795 in Imperia. 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 Imperia, 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 $62 in Imperia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $334 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Imperia

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

41,999

💱 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Imperia 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Imperia

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 Imperia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperia costs about 10% 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 $2,518 in Imperia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imperia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,678 in Imperia. That makes Cape Town about 9% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Imperia. 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 $1,678 in Imperia. 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 $1,678 in Imperia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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