Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,755 in Zlin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town, South Africa
Zlin, Czech Republic
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Zlin
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,755
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,755 in Zlin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Zlin $1,755

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,405 in Zlin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Zlin $2,405

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,055 in Zlin, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Zlin $3,055

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Zlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Zlin sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Zlin by 30%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 198
$9.07 Kč 197
32.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 707
$36.70 Kč 795
16.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 101
$6.33 Kč 137
-2.84%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 39.04
$3.12 Kč 67.6
-24.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.96
$2.10 Kč 45.50
-39.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.46
$1.62 Kč 35.02
-41.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.77
$2.35 Kč 50.9
25.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 60.8
$2.89 Kč 62.5
27.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.73
$1.06 Kč 22.90
24.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.87
$1.25 Kč 27.03
-3.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.26
$2.25 Kč 48.70
-2.22%
Eggs
$3.10 R 51.1
$3.47 Kč 75.1
-10.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 144
$13.15 Kč 285
-33.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 114
$9.99 Kč 216
-31.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 153
$14.10 Kč 305
-34.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.08
$1.64 Kč 35.45
11.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.12
$1.75 Kč 37.89
11.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.32
$2.04 Kč 44.28
-18.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 35.19
$3.45 Kč 74.8
-37.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.01
$1.06 Kč 22.86
49.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.29
$0.91 Kč 19.61
61.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.18
$1.47 Kč 31.79
-8.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.85
$0.65 Kč 14.11
75.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.0
$7.31 Kč 158
-51.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 99.7
$6.51 Kč 141
-7.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.95
$0.83 Kč 18.03
67.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 35.90
$1.95 Kč 42.25
11.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 23.02
$0.84 Kč 18.21
66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
$28.45 Kč 616
113.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.26
$2.73 Kč 59.2
-65.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.83
$1.57 Kč 34.04
-42.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 81.7
$15.59 Kč 338
-68.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.37
$1.70 Kč 36.88
-9.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 582.8K
$30.8K Kč 666.2K
14.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 549.9K
$30.2K Kč 654.2K
10.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,929
$349 Kč 7,549
-66.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 424
$21.02 Kč 455
22.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 649
$19.59 Kč 424
101.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 850
$50.1 Kč 1,085
2.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 187
$11.84 Kč 256
-4.14%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 146
$10.66 Kč 231
-16.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,069
$256 Kč 5,552
19.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 134.2K
$5,206 Kč 112.7K
56.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 946
$111 Kč 2,401
-48.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 523
$34.19 Kč 740
-7.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,911
$131 Kč 2,829
-11.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,660
$108 Kč 2,342
-6.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.2K
$791 Kč 17.1K
32.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.0K
$657 Kč 14.2K
1.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.7K
$1,178 Kč 25.5K
57.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.2K
$896 Kč 19.4K
57.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.7K
$4,962 Kč 107.4K
-51.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.9K
$3,509 Kč 76.0K
-55.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Zlin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.9K
$1,506 Kč 32.6K
8.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
5.33
104.32%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zlin: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Zlin
$657 1.9% $12
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Zlin
$262 17.2% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Zlin
$389 114% $207
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Zlin
$161 7.2% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Zlin
$173 25.5% $35
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Zlin
$42 40.9% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Zlin
$71 2.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $791 in Zlin. 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 8% 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 $37 in Zlin. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $262 in Zlin – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇨🇿 Zlin
🕒 Local time
03:48 3:48 AM
02:48 2:48 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
75,870
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

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).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.65 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Zlin 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Zlin

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 Zlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Zlin?
Zlin costs about 15% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Zlin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,633 in Zlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Zlin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Zlin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $791 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Zlin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,755 in Zlin. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Zlin?
Public transport costs about 53% less in Zlin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Zlin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,755 in Zlin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cape Town or Zlin?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,755 in Zlin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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