Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durres and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,138 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Durres
Learn more

Durres Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,138

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Durres vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Durres $1,138
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,733 per month in Durres vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Durres $1,733
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,329 per month in Durres vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Durres $2,329
Cape Town $3,263

Durres is about 28% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Durres sits 16% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.51 ALL 846

$12.14 R 200

-13.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.27 ALL 3,001

$45.34 R 747

-17.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 ALL 820

$5.88 R 96.9

73.13%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ALL 160

$2.50 R 41.18

-20.80%

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

$2.04 ALL 164

$1.27 R 20.94

60.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ALL 84.2

$0.98 R 16.14

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 ALL 240

$2.99 R 49.33

-0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 ALL 340

$3.72 R 61.4

13.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ALL 170

$1.30 R 21.40

62.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ALL 86.2

$1.25 R 20.68

-14.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 ALL 190

$2.23 R 36.76

6.28%

Eggs

$3.69 ALL 297

$3.11 R 51.2

18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 ALL 1,030

$9.06 R 149

41.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 ALL 615

$6.92 R 114

10.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 ALL 1,173

$9.30 R 153

56.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 ALL 93.0

$1.84 R 30.25

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ALL 192

$1.96 R 32.29

21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ALL 124

$1.67 R 27.45

-7.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ALL 106

$2.17 R 35.70

-39.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ALL 74.0

$1.57 R 25.81

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 76.1

$1.48 R 24.45

-36.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ALL 101

$1.30 R 21.41

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ALL 56.7

$1.13 R 18.60

-38.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 ALL 341

$3.60 R 59.3

17.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ALL 887

$6.15 R 101

79.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 ALL 121

$1.38 R 22.66

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.14 R 35.20

-3.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.53

$1.50 R 24.65

-68.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.19 ALL 1,545

$60.8 R 1,001

-68.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ALL 287

$0.59 R 9.71

505.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 ALL 199

$1.50 R 24.65

64.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 176

$1.55 R 25.50

40.65%

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

$16.1K ALL 1.3M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-55.62%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$93.6 ALL 7,534

$114 R 1,883

-18.16%

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

$16.62 ALL 1,338

$28.91 R 476

-42.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.68 ALL 1,343

$39.73 R 654

-58.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.50 ALL 3,262

$49.01 R 808

-17.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.3 ALL 4,932

$10.99 R 181

457.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ALL 602

$9.15 R 151

-18.25%

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

$183 ALL 14.7K

$259 R 4,264

-29.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,590 ALL 369.6K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-32.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.06 ALL 3,146

$56.2 R 926

-30.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 ALL 3,303

$32.41 R 534

26.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 ALL 7,195

$121 R 1,987

-25.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ALL 12.8K

$108 R 1,781

47.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 ALL 35.8K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-56.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ALL 27.0K

$717 R 11.8K

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ALL 55.6K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ALL 37.8K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-64.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 ALL 142.9K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-25.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 ALL 92.9K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-25.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ALL 75.7K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-42.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.97

-52.14%

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

Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durres

$336 29.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 114% $381

Groceries & Markets

Durres

$261 22.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Durres

$174 15.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 1.2% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Durres

$148 13%

Cape Town

$143 9% 3.5% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durres

$127 11.2%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 44.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Durres

$55 4.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 21.4% $12

Getting Around

Durres

$37 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 102% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $444 in Durres 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 74% 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 $37.00 in Durres versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Durres vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Durres

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

Same time as Durres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

175,110

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durres Cape Town 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Durres
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

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

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Durres, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Durres 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 Durres, 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 $1,138 in Durres and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 217% less in Durres. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Durres, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Durres 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. Durres costs $1,138 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Durres. 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.