Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Spezia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,729 in La Spezia, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in La Spezia
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La Spezia Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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La Spezia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,729

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in La Spezia vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Spezia $1,729
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,620 per month in La Spezia vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Spezia $2,620
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,512 per month in La Spezia vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Spezia $3,512
Cape Town $3,306

La Spezia costs about 13% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Spezia and Cape Town sit above the global median – La Spezia by 28%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.06

$12.01 R 197

40.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 €71.3

$42.92 R 703

86.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 €9.08

$6.15 R 101

65.69%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$2.37 R 38.81

-27.85%

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

$2.67 €2.38

$1.27 R 20.84

110.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.94 R 15.37

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.91

$2.96 R 48.48

86.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.69 R 60.5

20.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.32 R 21.61

7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.21 R 19.75

61.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.20 R 36.05

-3.18%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.65

$3.10 R 50.8

31.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 €18.48

$8.73 R 143

137.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 €10.91

$6.89 R 113

77.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 €16.72

$9.26 R 152

102.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 €3.36

$1.83 R 29.90

106.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.95 R 31.94

15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.66 R 27.16

69.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 €4.05

$2.14 R 34.99

112.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.58 R 25.86

37.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.47 R 24.15

25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.35 R 22.05

23.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.14 R 18.75

-50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.11

$3.58 R 58.6

91.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$6.05 R 99.2

-5.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.39 R 22.82

25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.18 R 35.69

-18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.40 R 22.88

20.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 €32.78

$60.8 R 995

-39.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$0.93 R 15.18

375.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.90 R 14.75

87.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.11 €19.70

$4.96 R 81.3

345.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.54 R 25.23

24.68%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-1.01%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.4K R 546.7K

17.70%

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

$183 €163

$117 R 1,918

56.15%

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

$6.30 €5.61

$25.71 R 421

-75.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.73 €24.70

$39.41 R 646

-29.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.05 €33.89

$51.6 R 846

-26.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.42 €33.33

$11.35 R 186

229.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 €9.12

$8.89 R 146

15.19%

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

$503 €449

$308 R 5,040

63.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,929

$8,141 R 133.4K

36.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 €69.8

$57.4 R 940

36.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 €29.94

$31.75 R 520

5.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$116 R 1,900

-6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.6

$101 R 1,650

-0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 €679

$1,047 R 17.1K

-27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 €590

$669 R 11.0K

-1.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 €1,093

$1,861 R 30.5K

-34.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 €870

$1,407 R 23.1K

-30.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,553

$2,410 R 39.5K

18.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,062

$1,570 R 25.7K

47.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,697 €1,511

$1,630 R 26.7K

4.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

10.89

-65.75%

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

Last update for La Spezia: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Spezia

$662 38.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 1.1% $7

Groceries & Markets

La Spezia

$352 20.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 36.6% $129

Eating Out

La Spezia

$238 13.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Spezia

$217 12.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 16% $35

Clothing & Footwear

La Spezia

$144 8.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 4.6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

La Spezia

$59 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 18.6% $11

Getting Around

La Spezia

$56 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 27.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in La Spezia versus $1,047 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 La Spezia, 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 $80 in La Spezia versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 La Spezia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

21:50 9:50 PM

1 h ahead of La Spezia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,391

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Spezia Cape Town 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

La Spezia
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

La Spezia vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Spezia costs about 13% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,593 per month in La Spezia and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Spezia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $763 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,729 in La Spezia and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in La Spezia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,729 in La Spezia and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,729 in La Spezia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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