Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genoa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,791 in Genoa, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Genoa
Learn more

Genoa Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Genoa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,791

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,791 per month in Genoa vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Genoa $1,791
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Genoa vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Genoa $2,721
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,650 per month in Genoa vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Genoa $3,650
Cape Town $3,306

Genoa costs about 17% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Genoa and Cape Town sit above the global median – Genoa by 32%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €15.00

$12.01 R 197

40.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 €74.0

$42.92 R 703

93.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.95

$6.15 R 101

118.05%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$2.37 R 38.81

-15.19%

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

$3.12 €2.78

$1.27 R 20.84

145.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.94 R 15.37

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.05

$2.96 R 48.48

129.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.05

$3.69 R 60.5

53.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.32 R 21.61

39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.21 R 19.75

101.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 €2.88

$2.20 R 36.05

47.27%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$3.10 R 50.8

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.25 €16.26

$8.73 R 143

109.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.29 €10.95

$6.89 R 113

78.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.47 €18.24

$9.26 R 152

121.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.83 R 29.90

44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.95 R 31.94

7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.66 R 27.16

78.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €3.05

$2.14 R 34.99

59.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.58 R 25.86

33.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.47 R 24.15

27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.35 R 22.05

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.51

$1.14 R 18.75

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 €6.34

$3.58 R 58.6

98.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.93

$6.05 R 99.2

28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.39 R 22.82

66.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.18 R 35.69

33.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.40 R 22.88

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.39

$60.8 R 995

-12.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.94

$0.93 R 15.18

496.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.90 R 14.75

71.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.72 €30.93

$4.96 R 81.3

600.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.54 R 25.23

35.71%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-0.75%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$33.4K R 546.7K

12.63%

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

$240 €214

$117 R 1,918

105.06%

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

$10.22 €9.11

$25.71 R 421

-60.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.09 €28.59

$39.41 R 646

-18.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.15 €42.89

$51.6 R 846

-6.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.47 €13.78

$11.35 R 186

36.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 €8.16

$8.89 R 146

3.15%

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

$370 €330

$308 R 5,040

20.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$8,141 R 133.4K

49.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 €65.2

$57.4 R 940

27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.86 €34.61

$31.75 R 520

22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 €81.3

$116 R 1,900

-21.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$101 R 1,650

21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €745

$1,047 R 17.1K

-20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 €530

$669 R 11.0K

-11.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,254

$1,861 R 30.5K

-24.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 €833

$1,407 R 23.1K

-33.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,602 €3,209

$2,410 R 39.5K

49.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,350 €1,203

$1,570 R 25.7K

-13.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,130 €1,898

$1,630 R 26.7K

30.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

10.89

-68.96%

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

Last update for Genoa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genoa

$595 33.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 12.5% $74

Groceries & Markets

Genoa

$363 20.3%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genoa

$282 15.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 35.5% $100

Eating Out

Genoa

$263 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Genoa

$146 8.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 6% $8.8

Getting Around

Genoa

$75 4.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 4.6% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Genoa

$66 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Genoa 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 31% higher in Genoa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Genoa versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Genoa

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

1 h ahead of Genoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,655

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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Highest

Between locations

Genoa Cape Town 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Genoa
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

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

Genoa costs about 17% 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 $2,687 per month in Genoa 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 Genoa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,791 in Genoa and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Genoa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,791 in Genoa 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 $1,791 in Genoa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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