Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sutomore

For one person, living is cheaper in Sutomore: $1,111 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Sutomore
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Sutomore Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Sutomore

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,111 in Sutomore, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Sutomore $1,111

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,708 in Sutomore, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Sutomore $1,708

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,304 in Sutomore, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Sutomore $2,304

Cape Town costs about 37% more than Sutomore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Sutomore is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$11.25 €10.02

6.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$36.56 €32.55

17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.08 €8.09

-32.27%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.64 €2.35

-10.23%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.49 €2.21

-49.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.56 €1.39

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.74 €2.44

8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.38 €3.01

9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.19 €1.06

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.01 €0.90

19.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.05 €1.83

7.32%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.96 €2.63

4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.69 €7.74

0.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.49 €6.67

-8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.51 €11.14

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.26 €1.13

45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.56 €1.39

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.53 €1.36

8.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.89 €2.57

-25.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.87 €0.78

81.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.12 €0.99

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.46 €1.30

-7.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.88 €0.78

29.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.88 €3.46

-7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.50 €4.00

34.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.20 €1.07

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.71 €1.52

27.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.64 €1.46

-14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$38.85 €34.59

56.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.09 €0.97

-14.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.10 €0.98

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$16.44 €14.64

-69.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.72 €1.53

-10.47%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$29.5K €26.3K

19.94%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$21.0K €18.7K

59.04%

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

$117 R 1,929

$135 €120

-13.36%

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

$25.71 R 424

$13.16 €11.72

95.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$33.94 €30.22

16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$48.37 €43.07

6.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$14.45 €12.87

-21.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.18 €5.51

43.85%

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

$308 R 5,069

$407 €362

-24.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$6,833 €6,084

19.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$83.9 €74.7

-31.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$32.87 €29.27

-3.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$73.8 €65.7

57.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$94.5 €84.1

6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$369 €328

183.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$283 €252

136.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$554 €493

235.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$512 €456

175.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,722 €3,314

-35.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,348 €2,091

-33.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$682 €607

139.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

117.80%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sutomore: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Sutomore

$283 25.5% 57.7% $386

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Sutomore

$219 19.7% 1.9% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Sutomore

$182 16.4% 0% $0

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Sutomore

$186 16.7% 6.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Sutomore

$128 11.6% 6.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sutomore

$52 4.7% 27.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Sutomore

$61 5.5% 12.5% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $369 in Sutomore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $37 in Sutomore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $219 – making Sutomore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇪 Sutomore

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,000

💱 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 Sutomore 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sutomore

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 Sutomore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 37% more than Sutomore, 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 $1,667 in Sutomore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sutomore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $369 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,111 in Sutomore. That makes Sutomore about 27% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $407 in Sutomore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,111 in Sutomore. 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 $1,111 in Sutomore to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sutomore. 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.