Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Martin: $1,400 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Martin
Learn more

Martin Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Martin

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,400 in Martin, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Martin $1,400

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,006 in Martin, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Martin $2,006

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,613 in Martin, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Martin $2,613

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cape Town and Martin sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Martin by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.01 €8.03

33.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$44.62 €39.73

-3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.06 €8.07

-32.12%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.75 €2.45

-13.82%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.94 €1.72

-34.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.25 €1.11

-24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.13 €1.90

38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.23 €1.98

65.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.05 €0.94

25.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.48 €1.32

-18.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.06 €1.83

6.80%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.51 €3.13

-11.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.72 €11.32

-31.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.70 €6.86

-10.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.63 €11.25

-26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.26 €1.13

45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.71 €1.52

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.29 €2.04

-27.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.08 €1.85

2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.32 €1.17

19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.51 €1.34

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.66 €1.47

-18.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.85 €0.76

34.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.90 €5.25

-39.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.78 €4.25

26.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.02 €0.90

36.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.83 €1.63

19.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.44 €1.28

-2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$28.49 €25.37

113.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.70 €1.51

-45.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.25 €1.12

-28.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$22.51 €20.04

-77.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.78 €1.59

-13.48%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.8K €20.3K

55.09%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$26.8K €23.9K

24.53%

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

$117 R 1,929

$304 €270

-61.45%

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

$25.71 R 424

$19.57 €17.42

31.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$12.18 €10.85

223.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$36.72 €32.69

40.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$16.91 €15.06

-32.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.16 €8.16

-2.95%

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

$308 R 5,069

$342 €305

-10.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$12.8K €11.4K

-36.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$69.9 €62.2

-17.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$13.63 €12.13

132.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$77.7 €69.2

49.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$91.6 €81.6

9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$506 €450

106.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$453 €403

47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$758 €675

145.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$682 €607

106.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,250 €2,004

7.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,727 €1,538

-9.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,513 €1,347

7.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.79

187.34%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Martin: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Martin

$453 32.3% 32.3% $216

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Martin

$240 17.2% 7.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Martin

$335 24% 84.1% $153

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Martin

$160 11.4% 8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Martin

$114 8.1% 17.3% $24

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Martin

$42 3% 41.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Martin

$55 3.9% 20.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $506 in Martin. 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 8% 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $45 in Martin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $240 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇰 Martin

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

58,794

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Martin 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Martin

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 Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Martin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $2,100 in Martin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Martin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $506 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,400 in Martin. That makes Martin about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Martin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,400 in Martin to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Martin. 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.