Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $3,734 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
Learn more

Dublin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,734

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,734 per month in Dublin vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dublin $3,734
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $5,273 per month in Dublin vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dublin $5,273
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $6,811 per month in Dublin vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dublin $6,811
Cape Town $3,307

Dublin costs about 138% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dublin and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dublin by 179%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.89 €21.30

$11.78 R 195

102.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.5

$46.55 R 772

118.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$5.96 R 98.9

128.52%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.37

$2.47 R 41.01

98.38%

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

$2.88 €2.57

$1.33 R 22.03

116.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.03 R 17.08

109.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 €6.82

$3.01 R 49.98

153.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 €6.66

$3.66 R 60.8

104.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.39 R 23.08

20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.19 R 19.70

105.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.11 R 35.02

-2.84%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$3.01 R 49.84

61.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 €8.94

$8.96 R 149

11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 €11.58

$6.65 R 110

95.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.54

$9.29 R 154

75.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.83 R 30.28

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.90 R 31.47

14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.75 R 28.98

53.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.81

$2.09 R 34.59

157.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.55 R 25.78

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.49 R 24.65

0.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.30 R 21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.16 R 19.29

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.45 €19.13

$3.71 R 61.5

478.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 €12.22

$6.06 R 101

126.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.39 R 22.97

140.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.20 R 36.51

62.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.51 R 25.11

51.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €94.8

$61.0 R 1,011

74.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 €4.72

$0.63 R 10.38

741.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.53 R 25.42

1.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.15

$4.81 R 79.8

672.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.58 R 26.22

36.71%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$35.5K R 588.7K

9.87%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$31.7K R 526.6K

24.76%

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

$276 €246

$116 R 1,930

136.77%

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

$18.01 €16.06

$28.37 R 471

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.38

$40.69 R 675

27.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €61.4

$48.85 R 810

40.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €18.71

$11.13 R 185

88.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 €14.27

$8.83 R 146

81.20%

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

$1,296 €1,155

$261 R 4,336

395.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.7K

$6,702 R 111.2K

112.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$55.4 R 919

93.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.73

$32.27 R 535

55.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$118 R 1,949

-4.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$107 R 1,775

23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 €2,197

$1,015 R 16.8K

142.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 €1,943

$715 R 11.9K

204.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,492 €4,005

$1,801 R 29.9K

149.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 €3,139

$1,330 R 22.1K

164.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,511 €8,480

$2,331 R 38.7K

308.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,656 €5,043

$1,513 R 25.1K

273.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 €3,384

$1,636 R 27.1K

131.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.97

-65.18%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 67.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 39.4% $145

Eating Out

Dublin

$364 9.9%

Cape Town

$174 11% 52.3% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$346 9.4%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 46.3% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 22.4% $40

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 41.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$101 2.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 34% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,465 in Dublin versus $1,015 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 132% higher in Dublin, 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 $102 in Dublin versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

1 h ahead of Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dublin Cape Town 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

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

Dublin costs about 138% 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 $5,601 per month in Dublin and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, 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 $3,734 in Dublin and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 138%.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Dublin at $3,734. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $3,734 in Dublin. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.