Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,477 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
Learn more

Kaunas Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,477 in Kaunas, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Kaunas $1,477

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,241 in Kaunas, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Kaunas $2,241

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,005 in Kaunas, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Kaunas $3,005

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Kaunas sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Kaunas by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$11.80 €10.52

-0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$68.4 €61.0

-31.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$9.90 €8.83

-39.80%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$3.46 €3.08

-28.61%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$3.33 €2.97

-60.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$3.22 €2.87

-68.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$5.07 €4.52

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$4.36 €3.88

-16.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.57 €1.40

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$1.79 €1.59

-33.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$2.22 €1.98

-4.95%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$3.36 €2.99

-10.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$14.71 €13.11

-39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.13 €7.25

-18.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$13.60 €12.13

-31.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$1.55 €1.38

18.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.50 €1.34

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$2.17 €1.94

-19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$3.33 €2.96

-37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$0.94 €0.84

64.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$0.98 €0.87

52.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.83 €1.63

-28.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.96 €0.86

20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$6.14 €5.47

-39.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$10.19 €9.09

-40.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$1.74 €1.55

-20.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$2.11 €1.88

4.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$1.09 €0.98

38.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$31.96 €28.50

90.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$1.14 €1.02

-44.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$0.87 €0.77

75.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$15.71 €14.00

-69.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.91 €1.71

-17.28%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$26.9K €24.0K

31.95%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$28.8K €25.7K

10.17%

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

$116 R 1,930

$203 €181

-42.59%

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

$28.37 R 471

$16.06 €14.32

76.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$15.30 €13.64

165.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$32.92 €29.35

48.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$28.67 €25.56

-61.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$11.99 €10.69

-26.36%

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

$261 R 4,336

$682 €608

-61.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$8,760 €7,811

-23.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$85.7 €76.4

-35.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$40.43 €36.04

-20.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$121 €108

-2.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$164 €146

-34.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$627 €559

61.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$438 €390

63.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$929 €829

93.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$657 €586

102.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$3,679 €3,280

-36.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$2,386 €2,128

-36.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$1,696 €1,512

-3.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.05

170.86%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Kaunas

$438 30% 38.8% $278

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Kaunas

$280 19.2% 26.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Kaunas

$234 16% 26.2% $49

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Kaunas

$226 15.5% 30% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Kaunas

$185 12.7% 31.6% $44

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Kaunas

$42 2.9% 44.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kaunas

$57 3.9% 14.4% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $627 in Kaunas. 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 4% higher in Kaunas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $68.0 in Kaunas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $280 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

315,993

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Kaunas 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kaunas, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,215 in Kaunas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,477 in Kaunas. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Kaunas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaunas, where all-in costs run around $1,477, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kaunas 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. Kaunas costs $1,477 versus $1,568 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 Kaunas. 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.