Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and San Martino in Rio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,717 in San Martino in Rio, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in San Martino in Rio despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in San Martino in Rio
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San Martino in Rio Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

San Martino in Rio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in San Martino in Rio

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 San Martino in Rio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,717 in San Martino in Rio, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
San Martino in Rio $1,717

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,643 in San Martino in Rio, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
San Martino in Rio $2,643

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,569 in San Martino in Rio, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
San Martino in Rio $3,569

Cape Town is about 11% cheaper than San Martino in Rio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and San Martino in Rio sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, San Martino in Rio by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$19.72 €17.69

-39.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$77.6 €69.6

-44.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$11.36 €10.19

-45.86%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.13

$2.29 €2.05

3.49%

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

$1.27 R 21.01

$3.54 €3.18

-64.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.49

$1.62 €1.46

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.88

$5.71 €5.12

-48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$5.17 €4.64

-28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.78

$1.34 €1.20

-1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.87 €1.68

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.34

$2.14 €1.92

2.80%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.98 €3.57

-22.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$20.73 €18.61

-57.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.13 €10.89

-43.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$20.67 €18.55

-55.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.15

$2.48 €2.22

-26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.20

$2.21 €1.98

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.38

$2.56 €2.29

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.27

$3.49 €3.13

-38.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.07

$1.95 €1.75

-18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.35

$1.72 €1.54

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.23

$1.15 €1.04

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.90

$0.53 €0.47

115.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$6.73 €6.04

-46.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100.0

$6.77 €6.08

-10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.00

$1.76 €1.58

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.98

$2.66 €2.39

-18.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.07

$1.64 €1.47

-14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,003

$41.55 €37.29

46.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.30

$4.60 €4.13

-79.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.87

$1.65 €1.48

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.9

$22.21 €19.93

-77.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.43

$2.08 €1.86

-25.96%

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

$35.4K R 584.1K

$35.2K €31.6K

0.55%

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

$33.4K R 551.2K

$37.5K €33.7K

-11.05%

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

$117 R 1,934

$183 €165

-36.18%

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

$25.71 R 425

$9.45 €8.48

172.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$27.69 €24.85

42.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 852

$55.1 €49.43

-6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$23.30 €20.91

-51.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$10.24 €9.19

-13.18%

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

$308 R 5,081

$490 €440

-37.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.5K

$6,609 €5,931

23.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$90.9 €81.6

-36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 524

$36.61 €32.86

-13.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,915

$122 €109

-4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,663

$133 €120

-24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$731 €656

43.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$566 €508

18.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,159 €1,040

60.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$890 €799

58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$2,929 €2,629

-17.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,069 €1,857

-24.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.19

241.38%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Martino in Rio: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

San Martino in Rio

$566 33% 15.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

San Martino in Rio

$343 20% 53.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

San Martino in Rio

$221 12.9% 21.1% $38

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

San Martino in Rio

$279 16.2% 60.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

San Martino in Rio

$172 10% 25.1% $35

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

San Martino in Rio

$61 3.6% 15.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

San Martino in Rio

$76 4.4% 8.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $731 in San Martino in Rio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $78 in San Martino in Rio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $343 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 San Martino in Rio

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.46 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town San Martino in Rio 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
San Martino in Rio

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 San Martino in Rio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Martino in Rio costs about 12% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,575 in San Martino in Rio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Martino in Rio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $731 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,717 in San Martino in Rio. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 32% less in San Martino in Rio. 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 $1,717 in San Martino in Rio. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,717 in San Martino in Rio. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.