Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Telsiai

For one person, living is cheaper in Telsiai: $1,378 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Telsiai
Learn more

Telsiai Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Telsiai

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,378 in Telsiai, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Telsiai $1,378

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,157 in Telsiai, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Telsiai $2,157

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,936 in Telsiai, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Telsiai $2,936

Cape Town costs about 16% more than Telsiai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Telsiai sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Telsiai by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$13.58 €12.08

-11.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$75.2 €66.9

-37.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$9.19 €8.18

-32.54%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$3.77 €3.36

-33.69%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.26 €2.01

-40.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$2.27 €2.02

-55.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$5.52 €4.91

-44.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$5.17 €4.60

-29.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.46 €1.30

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.66 €1.48

-23.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$2.44 €2.17

-11.07%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$3.17 €2.82

-2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$10.48 €9.32

-14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$8.61 €7.66

-18.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$11.67 €10.38

-17.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.86 €1.65

0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.45 €1.29

33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.76 €1.57

0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$3.48 €3.09

-37.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.91 €0.81

67.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.79 €0.70

97.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.61 €1.43

-18.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.80 €0.71

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.21 €5.52

-40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$9.05 €8.05

-33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.77 €1.58

-24.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.92 €1.71

10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.10 €0.98

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$32.55 €28.95

88.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$3.09 €2.75

-80.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.27 €1.13

21.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$14.03 €12.48

-64.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.96 €1.75

-18.37%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$27.6K €24.5K

28.42%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$31.4K €27.9K

10.47%

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

$119 R 1,955

$233 €207

-49.00%

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

$29.42 R 485

$13.74 €12.22

114.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$20.49 €18.22

94.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$39.90 €35.49

27.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$22.34 €19.87

-51.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$9.99 €8.89

-10.01%

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

$261 R 4,303

$635 €565

-58.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$11.3K €10.1K

-38.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$96.0 €85.4

-41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$41.72 €37.11

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$89.9 €79.9

35.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$128 €114

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$533 €474

92.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$350 €312

105.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$813 €723

125.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$622 €553

118.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$3,068 €2,729

-21.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$1,763 €1,568

-14.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.99

174.94%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Telsiai: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Telsiai

$350 25.4% 51.3% $369

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Telsiai

$257 18.6% 13.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Telsiai

$267 19.4% 42% $79

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Telsiai

$238 17.2% 34.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Telsiai

$160 11.6% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Telsiai

$46 3.4% 38.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Telsiai

$60 4.4% 12.9% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $533 in Telsiai. 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $75.0 in Telsiai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $257 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇹 Telsiai

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

22:01 10:01 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

25,540

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Telsiai 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Telsiai

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 Telsiai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 16% more than Telsiai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,067 in Telsiai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Telsiai, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,378 in Telsiai. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Telsiai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Telsiai, where all-in costs run around $1,378, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Telsiai 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. Telsiai costs $1,378 versus $1,599 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 Telsiai. 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.