Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,638 in Cento, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Cento despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cento and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Cento vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cento $1,638
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,655 per month in Cento vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cento $2,655
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,672 per month in Cento vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cento $3,672
Cape Town $3,306

Cento costs about 7% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cento and Cape Town sit above the global median – Cento by 21%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 €17.86

$12.01 R 197

66.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 €80.4

$42.92 R 703

110.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.89

$6.15 R 101

117.07%

Cappuccino

$2.27 €2.02

$2.37 R 38.81

-4.22%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.27 R 20.84

171.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.94 R 15.37

74.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 €5.42

$2.96 R 48.48

105.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.01

$3.69 R 60.5

52.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.32 R 21.61

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.21 R 19.75

128.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.20 R 36.05

23.64%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.45

$3.10 R 50.8

24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.13 €16.15

$8.73 R 143

107.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 €10.93

$6.89 R 113

78.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 €15.43

$9.26 R 152

87.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.83 R 29.90

22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.95 R 31.94

-12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.66 R 27.16

17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.14 R 34.99

14.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.58 R 25.86

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.47 R 24.15

-4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.35 R 22.05

20.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.14 R 18.75

-50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 €5.94

$3.58 R 58.6

86.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.93

$6.05 R 99.2

28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.39 R 22.82

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.18 R 35.69

-13.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.40 R 22.88

16.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.22 €37.61

$60.8 R 995

-30.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

$0.93 R 15.18

381.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.90 R 14.75

64.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.78 €24.75

$4.96 R 81.3

460.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.54 R 25.23

36.36%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.4K R 579.4K

0.44%

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

$37.9K €33.8K

$33.4K R 546.7K

13.67%

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

$237 €211

$117 R 1,918

102.43%

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

$11.28 €10.05

$25.71 R 421

-56.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.99 €24.93

$39.41 R 646

-28.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 €47.70

$51.6 R 846

3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.42 €20.86

$11.35 R 186

106.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.15 €9.05

$8.89 R 146

14.17%

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

$425 €378

$308 R 5,040

38.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,424 €3,941

$8,141 R 133.4K

-45.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €78.7

$57.4 R 940

53.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.51 €38.76

$31.75 R 520

37.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 €83.3

$116 R 1,900

-19.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$101 R 1,650

49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 €477

$1,047 R 17.1K

-48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 €395

$669 R 11.0K

-33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 €946

$1,861 R 30.5K

-42.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €815

$1,407 R 23.1K

-34.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 €2,621

$2,410 R 39.5K

22.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 €1,801

$1,570 R 25.7K

28.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,779 €1,585

$1,630 R 26.7K

9.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

10.89

-70.71%

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

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cento

$444 27.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 50.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

Cento

$325 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.2% $101

Eating Out

Cento

$290 17.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.9% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cento

$276 16.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 34.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Cento

$169 10.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 18.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cento

$74 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 6% $4.5

Getting Around

Cento

$61 3.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Cento versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 9% higher in Cento. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Cento versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cento

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

01:09 1:09 AM

1 h ahead of Cento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,582

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cento Cape Town 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cento
Cape Town

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

Cento vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento costs about 7% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,456 per month in Cento and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cento, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $536 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,638 in Cento and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Cento. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Cento and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,638 in Cento. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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