Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,479 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

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

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,479

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,479 in Matera, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Matera $1,479

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,363 in Matera, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Matera $2,363

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,247 in Matera, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Matera $3,247

Cape Town costs about 3% more than Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Matera sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Matera by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$15.20 €13.54

-20.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$62.0 €55.3

-30.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.23 €10.00

-45.24%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$1.82 €1.62

30.22%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.28 €2.03

-44.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.15 €1.02

-18.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$5.71 €5.08

-48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$3.41 €3.03

8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.57 €1.40

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.72 €1.53

-29.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.28 €2.92

-32.93%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.52 €3.14

-11.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$15.71 €13.99

-44.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$12.65 €11.27

-45.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$20.65 €18.40

-55.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.51 €2.24

-27.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.17 €1.93

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.14 €1.01

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$3.72 €3.31

-42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.72 €1.53

-8.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.66 €1.48

-11.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.48 €1.32

-8.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.43 €0.39

165.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$6.69 €5.96

-46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$6.17 €5.50

-1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.76 €1.57

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$3.11 €2.77

-29.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.66 €1.48

-15.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$20.31 €18.09

199.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$4.42 €3.94

-78.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.20 €1.07

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$23.45 €20.89

-78.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.02 €1.80

-23.76%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$36.2K €32.2K

-2.20%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$36.6K €32.6K

-8.73%

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

$117 R 1,918

$201 €179

-41.83%

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

$25.71 R 421

$9.55 €8.51

169.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$31.29 €27.87

25.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$55.7 €49.57

-7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$23.39 €20.84

-51.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$10.11 €9.00

-12.07%

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

$308 R 5,040

$443 €395

-30.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$7,947 €7,079

2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$66.3 €59.1

-13.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$43.22 €38.50

-26.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$105 €93.6

10.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$135 €120

-25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$718 €640

45.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$412 €367

62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,053 €938

76.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$852 €759

65.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$2,770 €2,468

-13.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$3,239 €2,885

-51.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,739 €1,549

-6.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.08

253.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Matera: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Matera

$412 27.9% 38.4% $257

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Matera

$328 22.2% 47% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Matera

$242 16.4% 32.9% $60

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Matera

$226 15.3% 30% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Matera

$157 10.6% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Matera

$37 2.5% 47.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Matera

$76 5.1% 9.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $718 in Matera. 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 Matera, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $62 in Matera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $328 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

21:15 9:15 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

59,607

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Matera 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 3% more than Matera, 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 $2,219 in Matera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matera, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $718 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,479 in Matera. That makes Matera about 3% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Matera. 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 $1,479 in Matera. 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 $1,479 in Matera to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.