Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kos

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,498 a month against $1,586 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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,498 in Kos, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Kos $1,498

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,242 in Kos, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Kos $2,242

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,985 in Kos, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Kos $2,985

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Kos sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Kos by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$13.75 €12.23

-11.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$66.2 €58.9

-31.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$11.20 €9.96

-47.50%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.94 €3.50

-36.55%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$3.04 €2.71

-58.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.10 €0.98

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$4.54 €4.04

-34.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.86 €6.10

-45.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.35 €2.09

-44.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.63 €1.45

-23.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.60 €2.31

-14.23%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$4.74 €4.21

-34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$13.53 €12.04

-33.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.99 €8.89

-30.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.10 €12.54

-34.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.22 €1.98

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.03 €1.80

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.36 €1.21

22.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.98 €1.76

9.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.15 €1.02

36.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.16 €1.03

27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.06 €0.95

22.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.82 €0.73

37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.14 €4.58

-29.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.83 €6.07

-9.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.10 €1.87

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.60 €2.32

-17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.76 €1.56

-14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$44.70 €39.76

35.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.26 €3.79

-86.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.14 €1.01

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$16.09 €14.31

-68.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.09 €1.86

-25.84%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$27.4K €24.4K

32.01%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$25.5K €22.7K

22.39%

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

$114 R 1,883

$202 €180

-43.52%

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

$28.91 R 476

$22.74 €20.23

27.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.73 €30.89

14.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$51.6 €45.89

-5.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$28.44 €25.29

-61.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.07 €8.07

0.88%

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

$259 R 4,264

$430 €382

-39.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,795 €6,934

-12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$88.4 €78.7

-36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$40.00 €35.58

-18.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$88.4 €78.6

36.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$118 €105

-8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$616 €548

65.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$422 €376

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$738 €656

147.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$574 €511

130.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,685 €2,388

-10.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,416 €2,149

-36.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$893 €794

83.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.46

145.96%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Kos

$422 28.2% 41.1% $295

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Kos

$290 19.4% 28.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Kos

$260 17.4% 42.1% $77

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Kos

$244 16.3% 38.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Kos

$151 10.1% 5.5% $7.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Kos

$62 4.1% 17.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kos

$70 4.7% 3.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $616 in Kos. 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 84% 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 $66.0 in Kos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $290 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Kos

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

30,947

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Kos 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kos

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 Kos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,247 in Kos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kos, 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 $1,498 in Kos. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Kos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kos, where all-in costs run around $1,498, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Kos 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. Kos costs $1,498 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 Kos. 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.