Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,695 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,695 in Zadar, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Zadar $1,695

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,579 in Zadar, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Zadar $2,579

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,464 in Zadar, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Zadar $3,464

Cape Town is about 10% cheaper than Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Zadar sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Zadar by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.60 €13.00

-17.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$77.5 €69.0

-44.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.73 €6.88

-20.44%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.44 €2.17

-2.87%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.98 €2.65

-57.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.17 €1.93

-56.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.45 €3.07

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.59 €4.09

-19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.18 €1.05

11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.75 €1.56

-30.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.16 €2.82

-30.38%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.80 €3.38

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.81 €9.63

-19.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$9.79 €8.72

-29.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.90 €10.60

-22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.98 €1.77

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.51 €1.35

29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.10 €1.87

-20.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.58 €2.30

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.36 €1.21

16.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.33 €1.18

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.28 €1.14

5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.21 €1.08

-5.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.44 €4.84

-34.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.88 €7.01

-23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.37 €1.22

1.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.47 €1.31

48.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.73 €1.54

-19.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$43.73 €38.93

38.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.28 €2.92

-71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.18 €1.94

-58.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$22.10 €19.67

-77.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.88 €1.67

-18.09%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$25.8K €23.0K

37.01%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$24.6K €21.9K

35.46%

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

$117 R 1,929

$179 €160

-34.65%

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

$25.71 R 424

$22.26 €19.82

15.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$40.80 €36.33

-3.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.61 €42.39

8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$17.08 €15.21

-33.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$10.70 €9.53

-16.92%

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

$308 R 5,069

$238 €212

29.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$6,762 €6,021

20.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$91.3 €81.3

-37.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$35.66 €31.76

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$101 €90.3

14.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$77.1 €68.7

30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$883 €786

18.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$698 €622

-4.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,514 €1,348

22.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,163 €1,035

21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,878 €4,343

-50.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$4,166 €3,709

-62.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,379 €1,228

18.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.72

192.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zadar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Zadar

$698 41.2% 4.3% $29

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Zadar

$267 15.7% 19.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Zadar

$242 14.3% 32.9% $60

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Zadar

$216 12.8% 24.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Zadar

$137 8.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Zadar

$65 3.8% 9.7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Zadar

$69 4.1% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $883 in Zadar. 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 18% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $77 in Zadar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $267 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

67,309

💱 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Zadar 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Zadar

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 Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar costs about 11% 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 $2,542 in Zadar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zadar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $883 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,695 in Zadar. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Zadar. 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 $1,695 in Zadar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,695 in Zadar. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.