Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Karlovy Vary

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovy Vary: $1,451 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Karlovy Vary
Learn more

Karlovy Vary Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Karlovy Vary

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Karlovy Vary

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,451 in Karlovy Vary, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Karlovy Vary $1,451

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,422 in Karlovy Vary, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Karlovy Vary $2,422

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,393 in Karlovy Vary, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Karlovy Vary $3,393

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Karlovy Vary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Karlovy Vary sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Karlovy Vary by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.46 Kč 205

26.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$46.64 Kč 1,010

-7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.54 Kč 185

-27.99%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.95 Kč 63.8

-19.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.74 Kč 37.72

-27.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.35 Kč 29.15

-30.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.04 Kč 44.14

45.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$1.93 Kč 41.87

91.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.13 Kč 24.41

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.38 Kč 29.97

-12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.35 Kč 50.9

-6.38%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.83 Kč 61.4

9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.13 Kč 263

-28.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.02 Kč 152

-1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$16.28 Kč 352

-43.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.80 Kč 38.93

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.72 Kč 37.20

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.19 Kč 47.44

-24.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.27 Kč 70.8

-34.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.07 Kč 23.19

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.04 Kč 22.53

41.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.21 Kč 26.28

11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.80 Kč 17.22

42.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.15 Kč 155

-49.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.09 Kč 154

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.98 Kč 21.27

41.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.64 Kč 35.60

32.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$2.36 Kč 51.1

-40.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$25.14 Kč 544

141.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.70 Kč 58.4

-65.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.50 Kč 32.57

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$16.77 Kč 363

-70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.89 Kč 40.93

-18.52%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$27.1K Kč 587.9K

30.27%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$23.7K Kč 512.5K

41.00%

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

$117 R 1,929

$253 Kč 5,486

-53.79%

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

$25.71 R 424

$22.07 Kč 478

16.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$18.67 Kč 404

111.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$57.6 Kč 1,248

-10.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$21.10 Kč 457

-46.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.79 Kč 147

30.93%

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

$308 R 5,069

$185 Kč 3,995

66.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,759 Kč 59.7K

195.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$77.9 Kč 1,686

-26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.73 Kč 817

-15.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$98.8 Kč 2,140

17.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$121 Kč 2,626

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$717 Kč 15.5K

45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$474 Kč 10.3K

41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,615 Kč 35.0K

15.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,329 Kč 28.8K

5.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$6,875 Kč 148.9K

-64.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$4,958 Kč 107.4K

-68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,396 Kč 30.2K

16.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.75

129.26%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karlovy Vary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Karlovy Vary

$474 32.7% 29.2% $195

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Karlovy Vary

$253 17.4% 13.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Karlovy Vary

$294 20.3% 61.4% $112

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Karlovy Vary

$163 11.2% 6.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Karlovy Vary

$151 10.4% 9.8% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Karlovy Vary

$45 3.1% 37.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Karlovy Vary

$71 4.9% 2.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $717 in Karlovy Vary. 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 17% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $47 in Karlovy Vary. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $253 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

52,065

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.65 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.32 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Karlovy Vary 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Karlovy Vary

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 Karlovy Vary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Karlovy Vary, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,176 in Karlovy Vary. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlovy Vary, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $717 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,451 in Karlovy Vary. That makes Karlovy Vary about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Karlovy Vary. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

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