Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,000 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$2,000

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,000
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,950 per month in Dubrovnik vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,950
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,900 per month in Dubrovnik vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dubrovnik $3,900
Cape Town $3,306

Dubrovnik costs about 31% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dubrovnik and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dubrovnik by 48%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.23 €17.12

$12.01 R 198

60.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 €69.2

$42.92 R 707

80.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.99 €11.56

$6.15 R 101

111.22%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$2.37 R 39.04

69.62%

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

$4.61 €4.10

$1.27 R 20.96

262.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 €4.15

$0.94 R 15.46

395.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 €7.28

$2.96 R 48.77

176.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$3.69 R 60.8

30.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.32 R 21.73

-20.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.21 R 19.87

0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.20 R 36.26

1.82%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.10 R 51.1

30.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.87

$8.73 R 144

14.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 €7.91

$6.89 R 114

28.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.26 R 153

8.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.83 R 30.08

2.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.95 R 32.12

-27.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.66 R 27.32

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.14 R 35.19

23.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.58 R 26.01

-44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.47 R 24.29

-40.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.35 R 22.18

-19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.14 R 18.85

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 €4.76

$3.58 R 59.0

49.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.46 €3.97

$6.05 R 99.7

-26.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.39 R 22.95

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.18 R 35.90

27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.40 R 23.02

102.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 €46.98

$60.8 R 1,001

-13.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.08

$0.93 R 15.26

393.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.90 R 14.83

31.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 €6.58

$4.96 R 81.7

48.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.54 R 25.37

20.13%

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

$27.6K €24.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-22.04%

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

$24.8K €22.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-25.57%

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

$182 €162

$117 R 1,929

55.67%

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

$22.21 €19.77

$25.71 R 424

-13.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.69 €41.57

$39.41 R 649

18.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 €61.0

$51.6 R 850

32.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.90 €21.28

$11.35 R 187

110.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.72 €9.55

$8.89 R 146

20.58%

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

$89.7 €79.9

$308 R 5,069

-70.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,225 €6,433

$8,141 R 134.2K

-11.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 €64.7

$57.4 R 946

26.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.44 €25.32

$31.75 R 523

-10.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 €60.2

$116 R 1,911

-41.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 €69.1

$101 R 1,660

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,308

$1,047 R 17.2K

40.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 €811

$669 R 11.0K

36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 €1,755

$1,861 R 30.7K

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 €1,280

$1,407 R 23.2K

2.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,749 €6,900

$2,410 R 39.7K

221.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,416 €3,932

$1,570 R 25.9K

181.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 €1,297

$1,630 R 26.9K

-10.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

10.89

-65.20%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$911 45.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 26.5% $241

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$329 16.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 47.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$251 12.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 27.5% $69

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$234 11.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 4.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$111 5.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 24.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$90 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 22.8% $21

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$75 3.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 3.8% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Dubrovnik 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 12% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Dubrovnik versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

1 h ahead of Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

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 = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Dubrovnik Cape Town 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubrovnik
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

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

Dubrovnik costs about 31% 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 $3,000 per month in Dubrovnik 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,469 in Dubrovnik.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,000 in Dubrovnik and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Dubrovnik. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,000 in Dubrovnik 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 $2,000 in Dubrovnik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.