Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Vaduz

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,178 in Vaduz, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
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Vaduz Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,178 in Vaduz, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Vaduz $3,178

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,264 in Vaduz, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Vaduz $5,264

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $7,349 in Vaduz, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Vaduz $7,349

Cape Town is about 52% cheaper than Vaduz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Vaduz sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Vaduz by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$35.89 CHF 29.26

-66.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$148 CHF 120

-70.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$18.36 CHF 14.97

-66.50%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$6.29 CHF 5.13

-62.32%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$4.19 CHF 3.42

-69.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$4.35 CHF 3.55

-78.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$7.35 CHF 5.99

-59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.89 CHF 4.81

-37.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.83 CHF 2.31

-53.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-65.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.00 CHF 2.45

-26.67%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$10.32 CHF 8.41

-69.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$26.76 CHF 21.83

-67.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$24.05 CHF 19.61

-71.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$53.3 CHF 43.50

-82.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.69 CHF 3.01

-50.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$4.11 CHF 3.35

-52.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$4.13 CHF 3.36

-59.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.73 CHF 2.23

-21.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.78 CHF 2.27

-43.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.07 CHF 1.69

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.95 CHF 1.59

-41.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$12.90 CHF 10.52

-72.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$18.27 CHF 14.90

-66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.81 CHF 2.29

-50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.05 CHF 2.49

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$2.60 CHF 2.12

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$119 CHF 96.8

-48.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.90 CHF 1.55

-51.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$5.92 CHF 4.82

-84.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.35 CHF 1.92

-34.47%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$36.6K CHF 29.8K

-3.34%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$40.5K CHF 33.0K

-17.59%

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

$117 R 1,929

$240 CHF 196

-51.30%

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

$25.71 R 424

$39.68 CHF 32.35

-35.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$67.2 CHF 54.8

-41.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$80.9 CHF 66.0

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$18.15 CHF 14.80

-37.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$23.79 CHF 19.40

-62.63%

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

$308 R 5,069

$357 CHF 291

-13.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$16.8K CHF 13.7K

-51.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$138 CHF 113

-58.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$49.20 CHF 40.12

-35.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$174 CHF 142

-33.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$218 CHF 178

-53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,340 CHF 1,092

-21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,130 CHF 921

-40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$2,876 CHF 2,346

-35.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,464 CHF 2,009

-42.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$16.5K CHF 13.5K

-85.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$6,819 CHF 5,560

-76.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$9,046 CHF 7,376

-81.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

7.25

50.21%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vaduz: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Vaduz

$1.1K 35.6% 68.9% $461

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Vaduz

$651 20.5% 192% $428

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Vaduz

$347 10.9% 90.6% $165

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Vaduz

$500 15.7% 188% $326

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Vaduz

$261 8.2% 89.5% $123

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Vaduz

$161 5.1% 124% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Vaduz

$129 4% 85.2% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,340 in Vaduz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vaduz are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $148 in Vaduz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $651 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

5,800 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.915 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Vaduz 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Vaduz

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 Vaduz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vaduz costs about 108% 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 $4,768 in Vaduz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,340 in Vaduz.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,178 in Vaduz. That makes Cape Town about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Cape Town. 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 $3,178 in Vaduz. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vaduz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.