Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Italy is 61.5% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 70.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Italy is 68.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 67% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.12 €14.62
$8.70 R 140
96.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 €70.4
$38.91 R 626
111.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 €9.71
$5.17 R 83.3
119.92%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.70
$2.05 R 33.04
-2.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 €2.56
$1.02 R 16.48
193.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 €1.13
$0.76 R 12.22
73.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.75 €4.91
$2.26 R 36.34
154.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 €4.44
$2.53 R 40.80
105.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 €1.43
$1.10 R 17.78
52.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 €1.96
$0.94 R 15.15
144.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.92 €2.49
$1.62 R 26.14
80.25%
Eggs
$3.91 €3.34
$2.22 R 35.77
76.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.27 €13.90
$7.52 R 121
116.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.30 €10.50
$4.48 R 72.1
174.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 €17.30
$6.61 R 106
206.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.10
$1.50 R 24.17
64.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 €1.91
$1.42 R 22.87
57.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 €2.34
$1.46 R 23.52
87.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.33 €2.84
$1.51 R 24.33
120.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 €1.67
$1.26 R 20.22
54.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 €1.62
$1.29 R 20.85
46.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.31
$1.03 R 16.56
48.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.46
$0.97 R 15.56
-44.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.03 €6.00
$2.87 R 46.21
144.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.81 €5.81
$4.90 R 78.9
38.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.48
$1.31 R 21.15
32.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 €2.08
$1.73 R 27.93
41.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 €1.67
$1.65 R 26.54
18.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.74 €35.65
$44.20 R 712
-5.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.63 €4.81
$1.14 R 18.35
393.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 €1.36
$1.09 R 17.56
45.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.32 €30.17
$4.70 R 75.8
651.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.78
$1.30 R 20.86
60.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K €27.8K
$20.8K R 334.8K
56.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K €28.3K
$23.5K R 378.5K
41.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$225 €192
$111 R 1,793
101.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.40 €11.44
$32.36 R 521
-58.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.48 €26.88
$40.49 R 652
-22.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.00
$31.96 R 515
79.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.47 €21.76
$9.72 R 156
162.04%
Cinema Ticket
$10.36 €8.85
$6.80 R 109
52.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$576 €492
$189 R 3,035
205.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K €9,163
$4,400 R 70.8K
143.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.0 €77.7
$50.2 R 807
81.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.85 €34.03
$30.53 R 492
30.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.9 €85.3
$94.5 R 1,522
5.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €111
$81.3 R 1,309
59.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$855 €730
$453 R 7,289
88.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$664 €567
$372 R 5,991
78.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 €1,287
$906 R 14.6K
66.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,105 €943
$703 R 11.3K
57.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,810 €3,254
$1,150 R 18.5K
231.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,467 €2,107
$836 R 13.5K
195.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,932 €1,650
$1,471 R 23.7K
31.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.41
11.55
-61.82%

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

Last update for Italy: March 2, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 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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