Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuressaare and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuressaare: $1,493 a month against $1,586 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.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,493 per month in Kuressaare vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kuressaare $1,493
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,215 per month in Kuressaare vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,215
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Kuressaare vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,937
Cape Town $3,263

Kuressaare is about 6% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kuressaare and Cape Town sit above the global median – Kuressaare by 11%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.17 €11.71

$12.14 R 200

8.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.6

$45.34 R 747

50.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 €8.14

$5.88 R 96.9

55.61%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$2.50 R 41.18

60.80%

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

$3.42 €3.04

$1.27 R 20.94

169.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.98 R 16.14

190.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 €5.74

$2.99 R 49.33

115.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$3.72 R 61.4

53.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.30 R 21.40

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.25 R 20.68

52.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.23 R 36.76

6.28%

Eggs

$2.94 €2.61

$3.11 R 51.2

-5.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 €11.08

$9.06 R 149

37.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 €7.78

$6.92 R 114

26.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 €13.06

$9.30 R 153

57.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.84 R 30.25

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.96 R 32.29

-23.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.67 R 27.45

43.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.17 R 35.70

35.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.57 R 25.81

-33.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.48 R 24.45

-39.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.30 R 21.41

43.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.13 R 18.60

4.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.07

$3.60 R 59.3

89.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 €9.19

$6.15 R 101

67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.38 R 22.66

36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 R 35.20

5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.50 R 24.65

45.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.78 €24.71

$60.8 R 1,001

-54.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 €3.10

$0.59 R 9.71

491.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.50 R 24.65

-34.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.97 €23.99

$5.11 R 84.2

427.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.55 R 25.50

29.03%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-24.33%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-3.80%

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

$309 €275

$114 R 1,883

170.61%

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

$11.30 €10.05

$28.91 R 476

-60.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.24

$39.73 R 654

-11.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.03 €30.27

$49.01 R 808

-30.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 €10.45

$9.15 R 151

28.31%

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

$438 €389

$259 R 4,264

69.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$6,794 R 111.9K

72.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$56.2 R 926

97.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.47 €43.12

$32.41 R 534

49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$121 R 1,987

-13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$108 R 1,781

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$1,021 R 16.8K

-50.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 €295

$717 R 11.8K

-53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$1,824 R 30.1K

-63.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 €446

$1,327 R 21.9K

-62.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,122 €3,666

$2,391 R 39.4K

72.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,475 €2,202

$1,542 R 25.4K

60.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 €1,150

$1,639 R 27.0K

-21.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

10.97

-64.18%

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

Last update for Kuressaare: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuressaare

$356 23.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 48.6% $173

Accommodation & Living

Kuressaare

$332 22.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 116% $385

Groceries & Markets

Kuressaare

$281 18.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 19.8% $56

Eating Out

Kuressaare

$250 16.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 29.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Kuressaare

$173 11.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 17.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Kuressaare

$58 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 17% $9.8

Getting Around

Kuressaare

$45 3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 66.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Kuressaare versus $1,021 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 27% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Kuressaare versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h behind Kuressaare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,170

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 = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kuressaare Cape Town 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuressaare
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

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

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Kuressaare, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,240 per month in Kuressaare and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuressaare, 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 $1,493 in Kuressaare and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 119% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuressaare, where all-in costs run around $1,493, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Kuressaare 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. Kuressaare costs $1,493 versus $1,586 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 Kuressaare. 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.