Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ulcinj

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulcinj: $1,264 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Ulcinj
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Ulcinj Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Ulcinj

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,264 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Ulcinj $1,264

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,960 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Ulcinj $1,960

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,655 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Ulcinj $2,655

Cape Town costs about 21% more than Ulcinj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Ulcinj is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$11.25 €10.02

6.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$36.56 €32.56

17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.70 €6.86

-20.13%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.27 €2.03

4.41%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.28 €2.03

-44.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.55 €1.38

-39.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$2.23 €1.98

32.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$3.41 €3.04

8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.15 €1.03

14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$0.69 €0.62

75.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.93 €2.61

-24.91%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$1.93 €1.72

60.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$8.75 €7.79

-0.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$7.44 €6.63

-7.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$12.51 €11.14

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.28 €1.14

42.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.50 €1.33

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.03 €0.92

61.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$1.16 €1.03

84.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.71 €0.64

122.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.25 €1.11

17.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.53 €1.36

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.87 €0.78

31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$4.02 €3.58

-10.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$4.49 €4.00

34.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.29 €1.15

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.73 €1.55

26.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.64 €1.46

-14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$39.87 €35.52

52.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$1.14 €1.01

-18.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.15 €1.02

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$16.74 €14.91

-70.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.58 €1.41

-2.53%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$32.1K €28.6K

10.17%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$21.0K €18.7K

58.84%

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

$117 R 1,918

$134 €119

-12.34%

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

$25.71 R 421

$13.01 €11.59

97.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$25.65 €22.85

53.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$22.76 €20.27

126.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$14.46 €12.88

-21.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.89 €7.03

12.67%

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

$308 R 5,040

$446 €397

-31.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$6,874 €6,123

18.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$82.3 €73.3

-30.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$34.05 €30.33

-6.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$71.5 €63.7

62.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$94.5 €84.2

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$654 €583

60.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$495 €441

35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,332 €1,186

39.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$978 €872

43.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$3,638 €3,240

-33.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,361 €2,104

-33.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

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 Ulcinj: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Ulcinj

$495 39.2% 26% $174

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Ulcinj

$204 16.2% 8.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Ulcinj

$172 13.6% 5.5% $10

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Ulcinj

$174 13.7% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Ulcinj

$127 10.1% 7.7% $11

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Ulcinj

$53 4.2% 25.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Ulcinj

$39 3.1% 44.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $654 in Ulcinj. 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 $37 in Ulcinj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $204 – making Ulcinj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇪 Ulcinj

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,707

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Ulcinj 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ulcinj

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 Ulcinj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 21% more than Ulcinj, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,896 in Ulcinj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulcinj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $654 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,264 in Ulcinj. That makes Ulcinj about 17% cheaper.

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

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulcinj, where all-in costs run around $1,264, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Ulcinj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,264 in Ulcinj to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Ulcinj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 17% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.