Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chios and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,429 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Chios
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Chios Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,429

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,429 per month in Chios vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chios $1,429
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Chios vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chios $2,099
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,770 per month in Chios vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chios $2,770
Cape Town $3,263

Chios is about 10% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chios and Cape Town sit above the global median – Chios by 6%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.92 €12.38

$12.14 R 200

14.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 €39.09

$45.34 R 747

-3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.98 €12.44

$5.88 R 96.9

137.76%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.24

$2.50 R 41.18

45.60%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.27 R 20.94

85.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.98 R 16.14

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 €4.01

$2.99 R 49.33

50.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$3.72 R 61.4

17.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.30 R 21.40

20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.25 R 20.68

9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.23 R 36.76

15.70%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$3.11 R 51.2

45.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 €11.66

$9.06 R 149

44.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 €8.69

$6.92 R 114

41.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 €12.39

$9.30 R 153

49.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.84 R 30.25

21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.96 R 32.29

4.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.67 R 27.45

-19.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.17 R 35.70

-8.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.57 R 25.81

-28.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.48 R 24.45

-28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.30 R 21.41

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.13 R 18.60

-24.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 €5.33

$3.60 R 59.3

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 €6.28

$6.15 R 101

14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.38 R 22.66

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.14 R 35.20

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.50 R 24.65

-12.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.37 €38.57

$60.8 R 1,001

-28.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$0.59 R 9.71

589.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.50 R 24.65

-18.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.42 €14.61

$5.11 R 84.2

221.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.55 R 25.50

33.55%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-13.22%

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

$22.2K €19.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-28.91%

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

$199 €177

$114 R 1,883

74.14%

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

$20.12 €17.90

$28.91 R 476

-30.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.27 €24.26

$39.73 R 654

-31.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.01

$49.01 R 808

5.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.23 €21.55

$10.99 R 181

120.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.83

$9.15 R 151

8.42%

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

$432 €384

$259 R 4,264

66.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,719 €5,977

$6,794 R 111.9K

-1.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 €68.9

$56.2 R 926

37.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.43 €37.75

$32.41 R 534

30.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 €70.2

$121 R 1,987

-34.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$108 R 1,781

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 €482

$1,021 R 16.8K

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 €349

$717 R 11.8K

-45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 €612

$1,824 R 30.1K

-62.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €491

$1,327 R 21.9K

-58.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,409 €2,143

$2,391 R 39.4K

0.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,499 €2,223

$1,542 R 25.4K

62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

10.97

-59.34%

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

Last update for Chios: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chios

$393 27.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 82.5% $324

Groceries & Markets

Chios

$276 19.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 18.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chios

$246 17.2%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 25.8% $64

Eating Out

Chios

$241 16.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 27% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Chios

$142 10%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chios

$72 5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6% $4.3

Getting Around

Chios

$59 4.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 27.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Chios versus $1,021 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Chios versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Chios vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Chios

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Chios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,408

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Chios Cape Town 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chios
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

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

Cape Town costs about 11% more than Chios, 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 $2,144 per month in Chios and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chios, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,429 in Chios and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Chios. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chios, where all-in costs run around $1,429, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Chios 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. Chios costs $1,429 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 Chios. 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.