Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florence and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,458 in Florence, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Florence
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Florence Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Florence

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,458

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,458 per month in Florence vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Florence $2,458
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,710 per month in Florence vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Florence $3,710
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,961 per month in Florence vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Florence $4,961
Cape Town $3,306

Florence costs about 61% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Florence and Cape Town sit above the global median – Florence by 82%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.90 €23.97

$12.01 R 197

123.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 €70.6

$42.92 R 703

84.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 €12.31

$6.15 R 101

124.72%

Cappuccino

$2.28 €2.03

$2.37 R 38.81

-3.80%

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

$3.24 €2.89

$1.27 R 20.84

155.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.94 R 15.37

59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 €5.84

$2.96 R 48.48

121.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$3.69 R 60.5

117.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.32 R 21.61

55.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.21 R 19.75

114.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.20 R 36.05

32.27%

Eggs

$4.84 €4.31

$3.10 R 50.8

56.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.78 €22.96

$8.73 R 143

195.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.09 €10.77

$6.89 R 113

75.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.65 €22.85

$9.26 R 152

177.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.83 R 29.90

60.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.95 R 31.94

36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$1.66 R 27.16

102.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.14 R 34.99

53.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.58 R 25.86

44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.47 R 24.15

29.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.35 R 22.05

38.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$1.14 R 18.75

-38.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.38

$3.58 R 58.6

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €7.02

$6.05 R 99.2

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.39 R 22.82

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.18 R 35.69

38.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.40 R 22.88

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.76 €38.09

$60.8 R 995

-29.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.36

$0.93 R 15.18

305.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.90 R 14.75

34.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.09 €27.69

$4.96 R 81.3

526.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.54 R 25.23

37.01%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$35.4K R 579.4K

2.35%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$33.4K R 546.7K

16.00%

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

$244 €218

$117 R 1,918

108.70%

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

$11.84 €10.55

$25.71 R 421

-53.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.63 €29.07

$39.41 R 646

-17.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 €53.5

$51.6 R 846

16.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 €18.46

$11.35 R 186

82.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 €9.99

$8.89 R 146

26.21%

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

$776 €691

$308 R 5,040

152.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K €17.6K

$8,141 R 133.4K

142.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 €87.5

$57.4 R 940

71.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 €35.26

$31.75 R 520

24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.8

$116 R 1,900

-6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €134

$101 R 1,650

49.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 €1,424

$1,047 R 17.1K

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 €966

$669 R 11.0K

62.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,750 €2,450

$1,861 R 30.5K

47.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 €1,655

$1,407 R 23.1K

32.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,540 €5,826

$2,410 R 39.5K

171.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,068 €3,624

$1,570 R 25.7K

159.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,998 €1,780

$1,630 R 26.7K

22.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

10.89

-70.98%

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

Last update for Florence: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florence

$1.1K 44.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 38.3% $416

Groceries & Markets

Florence

$411 16.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 45.7% $188

Eating Out

Florence

$352 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 50.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florence

$289 11.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 36.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Florence

$179 7.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 23% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Florence

$83 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 15.9% $13

Getting Around

Florence

$61 2.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,599 in Florence 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 23% higher in Florence, 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 $79 in Florence versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Florence

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

1 h ahead of Florence

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

382,808

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Florence Cape Town 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Florence
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

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

Florence costs about 61% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,687 per month in Florence 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 $1,599 in Florence.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,458 in Florence and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 38% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Florence. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,458 in Florence and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Florence makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.