Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,102 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
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Cesis Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,102 per month in Cesis vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesis $1,102
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,829 per month in Cesis vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesis $1,829
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,556 per month in Cesis vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cesis $2,556
Cape Town $3,263

Cesis is about 31% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cesis sits 18% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 €14.67

$12.14 R 200

35.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.5

$45.34 R 747

47.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 €8.01

$5.88 R 96.9

53.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.28

$2.50 R 41.18

47.20%

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

$1.62 €1.44

$1.27 R 20.94

27.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.98 R 16.14

20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.00

$2.99 R 49.33

88.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 €4.52

$3.72 R 61.4

36.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.30 R 21.40

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.25 R 20.68

18.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.23 R 36.76

11.66%

Eggs

$2.73 €2.43

$3.11 R 51.2

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 €9.48

$9.06 R 149

17.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 €7.49

$6.92 R 114

21.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 €11.98

$9.30 R 153

44.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.84 R 30.25

11.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.96 R 32.29

-8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.67 R 27.45

47.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$2.17 R 35.70

36.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.57 R 25.81

-47.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.48 R 24.45

-39.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.30 R 21.41

33.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.13 R 18.60

-18.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$3.60 R 59.3

88.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.05

$6.15 R 101

28.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.38 R 22.66

23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.14 R 35.20

-5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.92

$0.59 R 9.71

455.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.50 R 24.65

-34.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.96 €15.97

$5.11 R 84.2

251.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.55 R 25.50

31.61%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-24.54%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-3.03%

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

$368 €328

$114 R 1,883

222.31%

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

$19.14 €17.02

$28.91 R 476

-33.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.72 €17.54

$39.73 R 654

-50.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$11.34 €10.09

$9.15 R 151

23.93%

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

$683 €608

$259 R 4,264

163.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$6,794 R 111.9K

167.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 €60.4

$56.2 R 926

20.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 €45.32

$32.41 R 534

57.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$121 R 1,987

-29.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$108 R 1,781

25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 €252

$1,327 R 21.9K

-78.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €974

$1,639 R 27.0K

-33.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

10.97

-56.52%

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

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cesis

$407 37%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 55.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Cesis

$259 23.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 13% $34

Eating Out

Cesis

$253 22.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 30.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Cesis

$153 13.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cesis

$23 * 2.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 197% $45

Getting Around

Cesis

$8.2 * 0.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 818% $67

Accommodation & Living

Cesis

- * 0%

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 50% higher in Cape Town, 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 $67.0 in Cesis versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Cesis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

1 h behind Cesis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,673

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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cesis Cape Town 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cesis
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

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

Cape Town costs about 44% more than Cesis, 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 $1,653 per month in Cesis and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,102 in Cesis and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $683 per month in Cesis and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cesis, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Cesis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cesis costs $1,102 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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