Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,477 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,477

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Kaunas vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kaunas $1,477
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,241 per month in Kaunas vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kaunas $2,241
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,005 per month in Kaunas vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kaunas $3,005
Cape Town $3,307

Kaunas is about 6% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kaunas and Cape Town sit above the global median – Kaunas by 10%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 €10.52

$11.78 R 195

0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$46.55 R 772

46.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.83

$5.96 R 98.9

66.11%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.08

$2.47 R 41.01

40.08%

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

$3.33 €2.97

$1.33 R 22.03

150.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$1.03 R 17.08

212.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.52

$3.01 R 49.98

68.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.66 R 60.8

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.39 R 23.08

12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.19 R 19.70

50.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.11 R 35.02

5.21%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$3.01 R 49.84

11.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 €13.11

$8.96 R 149

64.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.25

$6.65 R 110

22.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 €12.13

$9.29 R 154

46.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.83 R 30.28

-15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.90 R 31.47

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.75 R 28.98

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.09 R 34.59

59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.55 R 25.78

-39.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.49 R 24.65

-34.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.30 R 21.53

40.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.16 R 19.29

-17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.47

$3.71 R 61.5

65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$6.06 R 101

68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.39 R 22.97

25.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.20 R 36.51

-4.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.51 R 25.11

-27.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.96 €28.50

$61.0 R 1,011

-47.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.63 R 10.38

80.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.53 R 25.42

-43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.71 €14.00

$4.81 R 79.8

226.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.58 R 26.22

20.89%

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

$26.9K €24.0K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-24.21%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$31.7K R 526.6K

-9.23%

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

$203 €181

$116 R 1,930

74.17%

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

$16.06 €14.32

$28.37 R 471

-43.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.30 €13.64

$40.69 R 675

-62.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.92 €29.35

$48.85 R 810

-32.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.67 €25.56

$11.13 R 185

157.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 €10.69

$8.83 R 146

35.79%

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

$682 €608

$261 R 4,336

160.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,760 €7,811

$6,702 R 111.2K

30.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.4

$55.4 R 919

54.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 €36.04

$32.27 R 535

25.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$118 R 1,949

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$107 R 1,775

52.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €559

$1,015 R 16.8K

-38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €390

$715 R 11.9K

-38.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 €829

$1,801 R 29.9K

-48.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,330 R 22.1K

-50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,280

$2,331 R 38.7K

57.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 €2,128

$1,513 R 25.1K

57.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 €1,512

$1,636 R 27.1K

3.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

10.97

-63.08%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$438 30%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 63.4% $278

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 19.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 20.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$234 16%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 20.8% $49

Eating Out

Kaunas

$226 15.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 23.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$185 12.7%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 24% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$57 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 16.9% $9.6

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 80.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Kaunas versus $1,015 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 4% higher in Kaunas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Kaunas versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaunas Cape Town 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
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

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

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kaunas, 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 $2,215 per month in Kaunas and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,477 in Kaunas and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Kaunas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaunas, where all-in costs run around $1,477, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kaunas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kaunas costs $1,477 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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