Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mytilene

For one person, living is cheaper in Mytilene: $1,408 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Mytilene
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Mytilene Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Mytilene

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,408 in Mytilene, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Mytilene $1,408

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,062 in Mytilene, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Mytilene $2,062

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,716 in Mytilene, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Mytilene $2,716

Cape Town costs about 13% more than Mytilene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Mytilene sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Mytilene by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$12.06 €10.73

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$43.75 €38.91

3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.14 €9.02

-42.01%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.70 €3.29

-32.43%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.63 €2.34

-51.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.59 €0.52

66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.31 €2.94

-9.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.42 €4.82

-31.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.55 €1.38

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.59 €1.41

-21.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.77 €2.47

-19.49%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.98 €2.65

4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$13.15 €11.70

-31.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.37 €8.33

-26.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.20 €11.74

-29.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.25 €2.00

-18.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.12 €1.89

-7.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.42 €1.26

17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.01 €1.79

7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.15 €1.02

36.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.13 €1.01

30.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.06 €0.94

22.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.88 €0.78

28.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.20 €4.62

-30.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$12.13 €10.79

-49.30%

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

$2.53 €2.25

-15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.31 €1.16

14.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$45.24 €40.24

34.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.56 €2.27

-76.95%

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

$14.65 €13.03

-65.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.14 €1.90

-27.57%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.4K €25.3K

27.50%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$24.7K €22.0K

26.34%

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

$114 R 1,883

$245 €218

-53.25%

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

$28.91 R 476

$22.83 €20.31

26.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$56.3 €50.1

-29.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$50.5 €44.95

-3.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$28.53 €25.38

-61.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.59 €8.53

-4.59%

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

$259 R 4,264

$427 €380

-39.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,707 €7,745

-21.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$89.5 €79.6

-37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$35.27 €31.37

-8.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$75.5 €67.2

59.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$118 €105

-8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$342 €305

198.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$321 €286

123.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$621 €552

193.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$478 €425

177.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,519 €2,240

-5.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,936 €1,722

-20.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,055 €938

55.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.15

113.01%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mytilene: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Mytilene

$321 22.8% 55.2% $396

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Mytilene

$280 19.9% 24.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Mytilene

$324 23% 76.9% $141

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Mytilene

$212 15% 20.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Mytilene

$143 10.2% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Mytilene

$59 4.2% 21.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mytilene

$70 5% 3.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $342 in Mytilene. 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 55% 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 $44.00 in Mytilene. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $280 in Mytilene – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Mytilene

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

36,163

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Mytilene 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mytilene

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 Mytilene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 13% more than Mytilene, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,113 in Mytilene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mytilene, 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 $1,408 in Mytilene. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Mytilene. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mytilene, where all-in costs run around $1,408, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Mytilene 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. Mytilene costs $1,408 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 Mytilene. 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.