Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Graz and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,193 in Graz, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Graz
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Graz Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Graz

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,193

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,193 per month in Graz vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Graz $2,193
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Graz vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Graz $3,275
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,357 per month in Graz vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Graz $4,357
Cape Town $3,306

Graz costs about 44% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Graz and Cape Town sit above the global median – Graz by 62%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.82

$12.01 R 198

38.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 €58.4

$42.92 R 707

52.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.89

$6.15 R 101

117.07%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.68

$2.37 R 39.04

74.68%

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

$3.76 €3.35

$1.27 R 20.96

196.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.48

$0.94 R 15.46

196.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.96 R 48.77

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.12

$3.69 R 60.8

55.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.32 R 21.73

39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.21 R 19.87

157.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.20 R 36.26

33.64%

Eggs

$5.20 €4.63

$3.10 R 51.1

67.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.07 €22.32

$8.73 R 144

187.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.57 €14.76

$6.89 R 114

140.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 €21.47

$9.26 R 153

160.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.83 R 30.08

60.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.95 R 32.12

29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.66 R 27.32

96.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.14 R 35.19

79.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.58 R 26.01

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 R 24.29

29.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.35 R 22.18

38.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.14 R 18.85

-13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.71 €6.86

$3.58 R 59.0

115.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 €8.00

$6.05 R 99.7

48.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.39 R 22.95

8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.18 R 35.90

1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.40 R 23.02

153.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.0 €65.9

$60.8 R 1,001

21.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.94

$0.93 R 15.26

495.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 €2.23

$0.90 R 14.83

178.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.72 €34.48

$4.96 R 81.7

680.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.54 R 25.37

27.27%

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

$29.8K €26.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-15.82%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-8.41%

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

$378 €337

$117 R 1,929

222.84%

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

$13.79 €12.28

$25.71 R 424

-46.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 €32.46

$39.41 R 649

-7.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.49 €34.27

$51.6 R 850

-25.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 €20.22

$11.35 R 187

100.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 €11.93

$8.89 R 146

50.73%

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

$508 €452

$308 R 5,069

65.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,692 €5,068

$8,141 R 134.2K

-30.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €92.2

$57.4 R 946

80.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 €37.40

$31.75 R 523

32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$116 R 1,911

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

$101 R 1,660

58.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 €727

$1,047 R 17.2K

-22.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €608

$669 R 11.0K

2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 €1,294

$1,861 R 30.7K

-21.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,063

$1,407 R 23.2K

-15.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,623 €5,007

$2,410 R 39.7K

133.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,338 €2,972

$1,570 R 25.9K

112.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,168 €2,821

$1,630 R 26.9K

94.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

10.89

-67.03%

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

Last update for Graz: 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

Graz

$683 31.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Graz

$434 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 48.5% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Graz

$428 19.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 57.5% $246

Eating Out

Graz

$288 13.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.6% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Graz

$189 8.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 27% $51

Getting Around

Graz

$106 4.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 32.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Graz

$65 3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 6.3% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in Graz 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 94% higher in Graz. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Graz versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Graz

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

1 h ahead of Graz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

331,359

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

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Between locations

Graz Cape Town 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Graz
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

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

Graz costs about 44% 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 $3,290 per month in Graz 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 Graz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $816 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,193 in Graz and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,193 in Graz 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 $2,193 in Graz. 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, Graz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.