Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Perugia

For one person, living is cheaper in Perugia: $1,474 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $640 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 Perugia
Learn more

Perugia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Perugia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,474 in Perugia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Perugia $1,474

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,333 in Perugia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Perugia $2,333

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,191 in Perugia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Perugia $3,191

Cape Town costs about 4% more than Perugia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$17.62 €15.69

-31.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$73.5 €65.5

-41.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.31 €10.07

-45.62%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.80 €1.60

31.67%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.94 €2.62

-56.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.52 €1.35

-38.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$5.67 €5.04

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.49 €4.89

-32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.27 €1.13

3.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.10 €1.87

-42.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.49 €2.21

-11.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.21 €3.75

-26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$16.30 €14.52

-46.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.28 €10.93

-43.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$17.87 €15.91

-48.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.48 €1.32

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.57 €1.40

24.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.92 €1.71

-13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.36 €2.10

-9.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.54 €1.37

2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.80 €1.60

-18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.58 €1.41

-14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.26 €0.23

338.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.04 €5.37

-40.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$6.81 €6.06

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.50 €1.34

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.73 €1.54

26.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.73 €1.54

-19.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$61.0 €54.4

-0.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.88 €3.45

-76.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.41 €1.26

-36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$28.17 €25.09

-82.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.96 €1.75

-21.43%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$34.6K €30.8K

2.09%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$37.5K €33.4K

-10.92%

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

$117 R 1,929

$167 €149

-30.03%

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

$25.71 R 424

$8.75 €7.79

193.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$31.37 €27.93

25.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.25 €42.07

9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$55.3 €49.27

-79.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.50 €7.57

4.59%

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

$308 R 5,069

$592 €527

-48.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$4,002 €3,563

103.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$66.1 €58.9

-13.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$35.51 €31.62

-10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$81.7 €72.7

41.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$93.5 €83.3

7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$570 €508

83.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$442 €393

51.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,045 €931

77.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$756 €673

86.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,871 €1,666

28.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,109 €987

41.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,749 €1,557

-6.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.05

168.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Perugia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Perugia

$442 30% 34% $227

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Perugia

$303 20.6% 35.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Perugia

$207 14.1% 13.9% $25

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Perugia

$254 17.2% 45.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Perugia

$125 8.5% 9.5% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Perugia

$79 5.4% 9.9% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Perugia

$64 4.4% 7.4% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $570 in Perugia. 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 Perugia, 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 $74 in Perugia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $303 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Perugia

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

162,527

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Perugia 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Perugia

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 Perugia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 4% more than Perugia, 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 $2,211 in Perugia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perugia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $570 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,474 in Perugia. That makes Perugia about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $592 in Perugia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Perugia costs $1,474 versus $1,527 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.