Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Ireland and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,908 in Ireland, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Ireland Living Index143Cost of Living Index in IrelandLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index76Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Ireland is 52.2% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 85.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ireland is 60.2% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 65.3% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.37 €19.97
$11.78 R 194
89.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.1 €78.6
$46.55 R 768
89.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.41 €11.07
$5.96 R 98.4
108.22%
Cappuccino
$4.49 €4.00
$2.47 R 40.80
81.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 €2.52
$1.33 R 21.91
112.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.03 R 16.99
115.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.68 €5.96
$3.01 R 49.72
121.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.88 €6.14
$3.66 R 60.4
87.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 €1.45
$1.39 R 22.96
16.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 €1.97
$1.19 R 19.60
85.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 €1.67
$2.11 R 34.84
-11.37%
Eggs
$4.35 €3.89
$3.01 R 49.58
44.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.59 €10.34
$8.96 R 148
29.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.79 €10.52
$6.65 R 110
77.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.33 €12.79
$9.29 R 153
54.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 €2.72
$1.83 R 30.13
66.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 €1.99
$1.90 R 31.31
17.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.23 €2.89
$1.75 R 28.83
84.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.48 €4.00
$2.09 R 34.41
114.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$1.55 R 25.64
33.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.49 R 24.53
5.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 €1.19
$1.30 R 21.41
2.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.16 R 19.19
77.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.29 €18.11
$3.71 R 61.2
446.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.26 €11.83
$6.06 R 100
118.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.59 €3.20
$1.39 R 22.85
158.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 €3.33
$2.20 R 36.32
69.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.19 €1.96
$1.51 R 24.98
45.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 €96.6
$61.0 R 1,006
77.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 €5.10
$0.63 R 10.33
806.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 €1.44
$1.53 R 25.29
5.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.31 €29.73
$4.81 R 79.4
592.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.58 R 26.08
27.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K €34.4K
$35.5K R 585.7K
8.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.4K €35.2K
$31.7K R 523.8K
24.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$246 €219
$116 R 1,920
111.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.70 €20.25
$28.37 R 468
-19.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 €47.06
$40.69 R 671
29.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 €49.97
$48.85 R 806
14.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.48 €18.28
$11.13 R 184
84.01%
Cinema Ticket
$13.70 €12.23
$8.83 R 146
55.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,092 €975
$261 R 4,314
317.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K €10.6K
$6,702 R 110.6K
76.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.0 €86.5
$55.4 R 914
75.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.86 €40.03
$32.27 R 532
39.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €94.3
$118 R 1,939
-10.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 €104
$107 R 1,766
8.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,737 €1,550
$1,015 R 16.7K
71.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,587 €1,416
$715 R 11.8K
121.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,768 €2,470
$1,801 R 29.7K
53.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,393 €2,136
$1,330 R 22.0K
79.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,750 €4,239
$2,331 R 38.5K
103.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,918 €3,496
$1,513 R 25.0K
158.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ireland
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,421 €3,053
$1,636 R 27.0K
109.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.17
10.97
-61.99%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Ireland: October 4, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ireland $1.6K 53.3%
Cape Town $715 45.3% 54.9% $871
Groceries & Markets
Ireland $355 11.9%
Cape Town $222 14.1% 37.4% $133
Eating Out
Ireland $337 11.3%
Cape Town $174 11% 48.5% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ireland $321 10.8%
Cape Town $185 11.7% 42.3% $136
Clothing & Footwear
Ireland $164 5.5%
Cape Town $141 8.9% 14.2% $23
Getting Around
Ireland $131 4.4%
Cape Town $75 4.8% 42.5% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Ireland $83 2.8%
Cape Town $67 4.2% 20.3% $17
Accommodation & Living
Ireland $2.4K 43.6%
Cape Town $1.3K 40.8% 44.4% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Ireland $810 14.8%
Cape Town $516 15.9% 36.2% $293
Eating Out
Ireland $1.1K 20.5%
Cape Town $587 18% 47.8% $537
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ireland $344 6.3%
Cape Town $214 6.6% 37.8% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Ireland $364 6.6%
Cape Town $312 9.6% 14.2% $52
Getting Around
Ireland $266 4.9%
Cape Town $154 4.7% 42.3% $112
Sport & Entertainment
Ireland $187 3.4%
Cape Town $144 4.4% 23% $43
Good to know
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
5,149,139
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Ireland Cape Town 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
- Ireland
- 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
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