Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dun Laoghaire and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Dun Laoghaire
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Dun Laoghaire Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,761

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,761 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $2,761
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $4,416 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $4,416
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $6,071 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $6,071
Cape Town $3,263

Dun Laoghaire costs about 74% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dun Laoghaire and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dun Laoghaire by 105%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 €19.62

$12.14 R 200

81.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.3

$45.34 R 747

123.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$5.88 R 96.9

129.42%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$2.50 R 41.18

98.80%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.27 R 20.94

135.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.98 R 16.14

127.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 €6.93

$2.99 R 49.33

160.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 €6.68

$3.72 R 61.4

101.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.30 R 21.40

23.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.25 R 20.68

88.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.23 R 36.76

-7.17%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.74

$3.11 R 51.2

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 €8.85

$9.06 R 149

9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$6.92 R 114

59.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$9.30 R 153

45.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.84 R 30.25

53.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.96 R 32.29

9.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$1.67 R 27.45

66.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 €3.59

$2.17 R 35.70

86.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.57 R 25.81

22.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.48 R 24.45

3.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 R 21.41

0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.13 R 18.60

62.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.35 €18.10

$3.60 R 59.3

465.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 €12.01

$6.15 R 101

119.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.38 R 22.66

140.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.14 R 35.20

64.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.50 R 24.65

54.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.52

$0.59 R 9.71

762.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.50 R 24.65

-4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.78 €33.60

$5.11 R 84.2

639.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.55 R 25.50

37.42%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

5.85%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$31.2K R 514.8K

19.71%

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

$244 €217

$114 R 1,883

113.61%

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

$18.03 €16.03

$28.91 R 476

-37.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$39.73 R 654

28.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 €51.9

$49.01 R 808

19.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 €13.68

$9.15 R 151

68.09%

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

$989 €880

$259 R 4,264

282.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,432 €4,831

$6,794 R 111.9K

-20.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.0

$56.2 R 926

76.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 €42.23

$32.41 R 534

46.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$121 R 1,987

-7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$108 R 1,781

20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,307

$1,021 R 16.8K

43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,312

$717 R 11.8K

105.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,599 €3,201

$1,824 R 30.1K

97.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 €2,798

$1,327 R 21.9K

137.16%

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)

$4,296 €3,821

$1,639 R 27.0K

162.16%

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 Dun Laoghaire: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dun Laoghaire

$1.5K 53.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 51.4% $758

Eating Out

Dun Laoghaire

$351 12.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 49.9% $175

Groceries & Markets

Dun Laoghaire

$336 12.2%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 33% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dun Laoghaire

$313 11.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 41.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Dun Laoghaire

$175 6.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 18.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Dun Laoghaire

$89 3.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 24.5% $22

Getting Around

Dun Laoghaire

$22 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 248% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Dun Laoghaire 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.

Salaries run about 162% higher in Dun Laoghaire, 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 $101 in Dun Laoghaire versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dun Laoghaire

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h ahead of Dun Laoghaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,761

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 = 5.39 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 = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dun Laoghaire Cape Town 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Dun Laoghaire
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

Dun Laoghaire vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dun Laoghaire costs about 74% 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 $4,142 per month in Dun Laoghaire 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 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 $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 74%.

Kindergarten costs $989 per month in Dun Laoghaire and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Dun Laoghaire at $2,761. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dun Laoghaire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire. 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, Dun Laoghaire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.