Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,287 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town, South Africa
Varazdin, Croatia
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Varazdin
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,287
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,287 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Varazdin $1,287

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,854 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Varazdin $1,854

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,422 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Varazdin $2,422

Cape Town costs about 19% more than Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Varazdin is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 197
$11.41 €10.16
5.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 703
$60.8 €54.1
-29.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 101
$9.94 €8.86
-38.13%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 38.81
$2.28 €2.03
3.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.84
$2.52 €2.24
-49.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.37
$1.90 €1.69
-50.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.48
$3.84 €3.42
-22.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 60.5
$3.30 €2.94
11.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.61
$1.17 €1.04
12.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.75
$1.61 €1.43
-24.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.05
$2.57 €2.29
-14.40%
Eggs
$3.10 R 50.8
$3.58 €3.19
-13.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 143
$5.63 €5.02
55.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 113
$8.46 €7.54
-18.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 152
$14.43 €12.86
-35.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 29.90
$1.70 €1.52
7.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 31.94
$1.66 €1.48
17.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.16
$1.82 €1.62
-8.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 34.99
$2.41 €2.15
-11.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 25.86
$1.22 €1.09
29.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.15
$1.10 €0.98
33.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.05
$1.10 €0.98
22.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.75
$1.14 €1.01
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 58.6
$5.65 €5.03
-36.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 99.2
$7.66 €6.82
-21.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.82
$0.71 €0.63
95.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 35.69
$2.13 €1.90
2.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 22.88
$1.32 €1.17
6.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 995
$43.71 €38.93
38.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.18
$5.58 €4.97
-83.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.75
$1.47 €1.31
-38.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 81.3
$13.41 €11.95
-63.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.23
$1.64 €1.46
-6.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 579.4K
$27.9K €24.9K
26.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 546.7K
$23.6K €21.0K
41.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,918
$148 €131
-20.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 421
$14.42 €12.85
78.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 646
$29.98 €26.71
31.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 846
$42.90 €38.22
20.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 186
$12.92 €11.51
-12.15%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 146
$9.03 €8.05
-1.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,040
$153 €136
101.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 133.4K
$10.1K €8,974
-19.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 940
$73.5 €65.5
-21.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 520
$33.17 €29.55
-4.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,900
$60.3 €53.7
92.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,650
$71.7 €63.9
40.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.1K
$575 €512
82.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.0K
$433 €385
54.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.5K
$871 €776
113.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.1K
$469 €418
200.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.5K
$3,116 €2,776
-22.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.7K
$2,475 €2,205
-36.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Varazdin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.7K
$1,338 €1,191
21.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
3.73
191.96%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Varazdin
$433 35.3% $236
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Varazdin
$240 7.4% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Varazdin
$192 5.4% $9.8
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Varazdin
$192 10.3% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Varazdin
$107 21.9% $30
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Varazdin
$62 13.8% $9.9
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Varazdin
$61 12.1% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $575 in Varazdin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $61 in Varazdin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $240 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇭🇷 Varazdin
🕒 Local time
06:32 6:32 AM
05:32 5:32 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
43,782
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Varazdin 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Varazdin?
Cape Town costs about 19% more than Varazdin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Varazdin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,930 in Varazdin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Varazdin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Varazdin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $575 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Varazdin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,287 in Varazdin. That makes Varazdin about 16% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Varazdin?
Public transport costs about 28% less in Varazdin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Cape Town or in Varazdin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Varazdin, where all-in costs run around $1,287, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Varazdin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Varazdin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Varazdin?
If budget matters most, go with Varazdin. 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.

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