Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liepaja and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Liepaja: $1,284 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Liepaja
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Liepaja Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Liepaja

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,284 per month in Liepaja vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liepaja $1,284
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Liepaja vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liepaja $2,006
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,728 per month in Liepaja vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Liepaja $2,728
Cape Town $3,263

Liepaja is about 19% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Liepaja sits 5% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 €9.77

$12.14 R 200

-9.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$45.34 R 747

49.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 €8.08

$5.88 R 96.9

54.59%

Cappuccino

$2.83 €2.52

$2.50 R 41.18

13.20%

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

$1.59 €1.41

$1.27 R 20.94

25.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.98 R 16.14

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.57

$2.99 R 49.33

34.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.72 R 61.4

-41.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.30 R 21.40

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.25 R 20.68

19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.23 R 36.76

8.07%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.11 R 51.2

15.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 €9.29

$9.06 R 149

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 €7.53

$6.92 R 114

22.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 €12.10

$9.30 R 153

46.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.84 R 30.25

11.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.96 R 32.29

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.67 R 27.45

46.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.17 R 35.70

4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.57 R 25.81

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.48 R 24.45

-39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.30 R 21.41

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.13 R 18.60

-12.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.58

$3.60 R 59.3

74.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$6.15 R 101

7.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.38 R 22.66

46.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.14 R 35.20

-6.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.50 R 24.65

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.95 €29.31

$60.8 R 1,001

-45.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 €1.74

$0.59 R 9.71

232.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.50 R 24.65

-34.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.56 €15.62

$5.11 R 84.2

243.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.55 R 25.50

16.77%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-23.50%

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

$30.9K €27.5K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-1.02%

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

$304 €270

$114 R 1,883

165.49%

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

$16.66 €14.82

$28.91 R 476

-42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 €17.64

$39.73 R 654

-50.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 €49.33

$49.01 R 808

13.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.23 €11.77

$10.99 R 181

20.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.79

$9.15 R 151

-4.26%

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

$171 €152

$259 R 4,264

-34.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.0K

$6,794 R 111.9K

165.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 €60.9

$56.2 R 926

21.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.59 €44.11

$32.41 R 534

53.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €75.7

$121 R 1,987

-29.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$108 R 1,781

28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$314 €279

$1,021 R 16.8K

-69.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 €204

$717 R 11.8K

-68.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 €560

$1,824 R 30.1K

-65.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 €417

$1,327 R 21.9K

-64.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,493 €1,328

$2,391 R 39.4K

-37.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,116 €993

$1,542 R 25.4K

-27.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 €976

$1,639 R 27.0K

-33.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

10.97

-61.71%

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

Last update for Liepaja: October 10, 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

Liepaja

$340 26.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 46.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

Liepaja

$257 20%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 12.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Liepaja

$229 17.9%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 213% $488

Eating Out

Liepaja

$184 14.4%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 4.5% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Liepaja

$154 12%

Cape Town

$143 9% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Liepaja

$73 5.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 7.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Liepaja

$46 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 61.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $314 in Liepaja 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 49% 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 Liepaja versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Liepaja

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Liepaja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,787

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Liepaja Cape Town 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Liepaja
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

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

Cape Town costs about 24% more than Liepaja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,926 per month in Liepaja 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 Liepaja, 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 $1,284 in Liepaja and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 24%.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Liepaja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Liepaja, where all-in costs run around $1,284, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Liepaja 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. Liepaja costs $1,284 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 Liepaja. 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.