Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesena and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,643 in Cesena, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Cesena despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,643

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cesena 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 Cesena and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,643 per month in Cesena vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesena $1,643
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Cesena vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesena $2,543
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,444 per month in Cesena vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesena $3,444
Cape Town $3,306

Cesena costs about 8% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €14.98

$12.01 R 198

40.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €81.0

$42.92 R 707

111.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 €11.01

$6.15 R 101

100.98%

Cappuccino

$2.22 €1.98

$2.37 R 39.04

-6.33%

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

$2.75 €2.45

$1.27 R 20.96

116.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.94 R 15.46

15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 €5.46

$2.96 R 48.77

107.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.69 R 60.8

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.32 R 21.73

5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.21 R 19.87

13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.20 R 36.26

-9.55%

Eggs

$2.87 €2.56

$3.10 R 51.1

-7.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.03 €16.05

$8.73 R 144

106.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.58 €10.31

$6.89 R 114

68.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 €14.86

$9.26 R 153

80.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.83 R 30.08

8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.95 R 32.12

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.66 R 27.32

42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.14 R 35.19

78.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.58 R 26.01

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.47 R 24.29

12.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.35 R 22.18

39.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 €0.28

$1.14 R 18.85

-71.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.91

$3.58 R 59.0

85.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.87

$6.05 R 99.7

8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.39 R 22.95

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.18 R 35.90

-25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.40 R 23.02

60.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.96 €34.69

$60.8 R 1,001

-35.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.87 €7.01

$0.93 R 15.26

746.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.90 R 14.83

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.33 €32.35

$4.96 R 81.7

632.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.54 R 25.37

29.87%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

1.70%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$33.4K R 549.9K

5.64%

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

$191 €170

$117 R 1,929

62.93%

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

$9.83 €8.75

$25.71 R 424

-61.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.55 €27.20

$39.41 R 649

-22.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.18

$51.6 R 850

-1.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 €12.43

$11.35 R 187

23.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.88

$8.89 R 146

12.15%

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

$531 €473

$308 R 5,069

72.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,075

$8,141 R 134.2K

25.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €78.3

$57.4 R 946

53.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.08 €33.01

$31.75 R 523

16.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 €75.7

$116 R 1,911

-26.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 €70.1

$101 R 1,660

-21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,047 R 17.2K

-38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 €524

$669 R 11.0K

-12.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,044

$1,861 R 30.7K

-36.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 €836

$1,407 R 23.2K

-33.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,935 €2,613

$2,410 R 39.7K

21.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,571 €2,289

$1,570 R 25.9K

63.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,737 €1,547

$1,630 R 26.9K

6.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.89

-69.70%

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

Last update for Cesena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cesena

$588 35.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 13.8% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cesena

$304 18.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 26.6% $81

Eating Out

Cesena

$254 15.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 31.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cesena

$231 14.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 21.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cesena

$130 7.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 5.9% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cesena

$71 4.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Cesena

$64 3.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 12% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $647 in Cesena 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 7% higher in Cesena, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Cesena versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cesena

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h ahead of Cesena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,758

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cesena Cape Town 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cesena
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

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

Cesena costs about 8% 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 $2,464 per month in Cesena 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 Cesena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $647 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,643 in Cesena and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Cesena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,643 in Cesena 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 $1,643 in Cesena. 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, Cesena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.