Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,832 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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Italy Living Index88Cost of Living Index in ItalyLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index74Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Italy is 30.9% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Italy is 40.6% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 14.6% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.47 €18.22
$12.01 R 198
70.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.9 €70.2
$42.92 R 707
83.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 €10.00
$6.15 R 101
82.60%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.82
$2.37 R 39.04
-13.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 €2.75
$1.27 R 20.96
143.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.19
$0.94 R 15.46
42.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.71 €5.09
$2.96 R 48.77
92.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.43 €4.83
$3.69 R 60.8
47.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.32 R 21.73
18.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.39 €2.13
$1.21 R 19.87
97.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.85 €2.54
$2.20 R 36.26
29.55%
Eggs
$4.19 €3.73
$3.10 R 51.1
35.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.06 €15.19
$8.73 R 144
95.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.49 €11.12
$6.89 R 114
81.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.30 €18.08
$9.26 R 153
119.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.33
$1.83 R 30.08
42.62%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.95 R 32.12
11.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.59 €2.30
$1.66 R 27.32
56.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 €2.95
$2.14 R 35.19
54.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 €1.79
$1.58 R 26.01
27.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.47 R 24.29
23.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.35 R 22.18
16.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 €0.46
$1.14 R 18.85
-54.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.74 €6.00
$3.58 R 59.0
88.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.91 €7.04
$6.05 R 99.7
30.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 €1.56
$1.39 R 22.95
26.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$2.18 R 35.90
8.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.40 R 23.02
39.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.83 €38.13
$60.8 R 1,001
-29.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 €4.92
$0.93 R 15.26
494.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 €1.52
$0.90 R 14.83
90.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.80 €30.10
$4.96 R 81.7
581.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.54 R 25.37
35.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K €32.0K
$35.4K R 582.8K
1.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.2K €33.1K
$33.4K R 549.9K
11.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$231 €206
$117 R 1,929
97.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.80 €10.51
$25.71 R 424
-54.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.94 €26.65
$39.41 R 649
-24.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.0 €47.22
$51.6 R 850
2.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.61 €21.02
$11.35 R 187
108.02%
Cinema Ticket
$10.75 €9.57
$8.89 R 146
20.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 €504
$308 R 5,069
83.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$8,141 R 134.2K
116.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.8 €80.9
$57.4 R 946
58.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.57 €34.35
$31.75 R 523
21.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.9
$116 R 1,911
-11.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €115
$101 R 1,660
28.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 €738
$1,047 R 17.2K
-20.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 €561
$669 R 11.0K
-5.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,377 €1,226
$1,861 R 30.7K
-25.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,050 €935
$1,407 R 23.2K
-25.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,650 €3,250
$2,410 R 39.7K
51.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,306 €2,054
$1,570 R 25.9K
46.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,951 €1,737
$1,630 R 26.9K
19.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.55
10.89
-67.40%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Italy: November 2, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 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
Italy $630 34.4%
Cape Town $669 43.8% 6.1% $39
Groceries & Markets
Italy $347 18.9%
Cape Town $223 14.6% 35.6% $124
Eating Out
Italy $279 15.2%
Cape Town $174 11.4% 37.6% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy $273 14.9%
Cape Town $182 11.9% 33.3% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Italy $163 8.9%
Cape Town $138 9% 15.6% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Italy $75 4.1%
Cape Town $69 4.5% 6.9% $5.1
Getting Around
Italy $65 3.5%
Cape Town $72 4.7% 10.9% $7.1
Accommodation & Living
Italy $1.1K 27.7%
Cape Town $1.4K 42.6% 34% $357
Groceries & Markets
Italy $821 21.7%
Cape Town $518 15.7% 36.9% $303
Eating Out
Italy $962 25.4%
Cape Town $570 17.3% 40.7% $392
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy $285 7.5%
Cape Town $208 6.3% 27% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Italy $362 9.6%
Cape Town $306 9.3% 15.6% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Italy $173 4.6%
Cape Town $150 4.5% 13.1% $23
Getting Around
Italy $133 3.5%
Cape Town $146 4.4% 9.8% $13
Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
58,850,717
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Italy Cape Town 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
- Italy
- 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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