Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lipari and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,717 in Lipari, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Lipari despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Lipari
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Lipari Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lipari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,717

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,717 per month in Lipari vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lipari $1,717
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,668 per month in Lipari vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lipari $2,668
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,618 per month in Lipari vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lipari $3,618
Cape Town $3,306

Lipari costs about 12% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lipari and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lipari by 27%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.07 €16.10

$12.01 R 197

50.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 €65.6

$42.92 R 703

71.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 €8.81

$6.15 R 101

60.81%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$2.37 R 38.81

7.59%

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

$3.11 €2.77

$1.27 R 20.84

144.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.94 R 15.37

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$2.96 R 48.48

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 €4.35

$3.69 R 60.5

32.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.32 R 21.61

19.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.21 R 19.75

80.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.20 R 36.05

32.73%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.85

$3.10 R 50.8

39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.86

$8.73 R 143

91.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 €10.43

$6.89 R 113

69.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.27 €19.84

$9.26 R 152

140.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.83 R 29.90

40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.95 R 31.94

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.66 R 27.16

60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.14 R 34.99

41.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.58 R 25.86

32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.47 R 24.15

21.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.35 R 22.05

0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.14 R 18.75

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.46

$3.58 R 58.6

102.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.07 €6.29

$6.05 R 99.2

16.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.39 R 22.82

23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.18 R 35.69

15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.40 R 22.88

43.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.39 €34.19

$60.8 R 995

-36.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 €4.14

$0.93 R 15.18

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.90 R 14.75

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.31 €27.89

$4.96 R 81.3

531.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.54 R 25.23

80.52%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$35.4K R 579.4K

5.15%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

2.43%

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

$206 €183

$117 R 1,918

75.69%

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

$10.34 €9.21

$25.71 R 421

-59.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.32 €24.34

$39.41 R 646

-30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 €49.47

$51.6 R 846

7.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.18 €22.43

$11.35 R 186

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.80

$8.89 R 146

11.14%

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

$508 €453

$308 R 5,040

65.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$8,141 R 133.4K

41.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$57.4 R 940

77.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.07 €30.35

$31.75 R 520

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.6

$116 R 1,900

-26.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$101 R 1,650

38.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 €652

$1,047 R 17.1K

-30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$669 R 11.0K

-14.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,050

$1,861 R 30.5K

-36.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 €886

$1,407 R 23.1K

-29.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,358 €2,991

$2,410 R 39.5K

39.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,156 €1,920

$1,570 R 25.7K

37.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

10.89

-69.61%

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

Last update for Lipari: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lipari

$574 33.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 16.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

Lipari

$343 20%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 35% $120

Eating Out

Lipari

$260 15.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.2% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lipari

$243 14.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 25.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lipari

$162 9.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 15.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lipari

$75 4.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 7.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Lipari

$59 3.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 21.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $731 in Lipari 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Lipari versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Lipari

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

1 h ahead of Lipari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,675

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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Lipari Cape Town 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lipari
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

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

Lipari costs about 12% 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 $2,576 per month in Lipari 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 Lipari, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $731 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,717 in Lipari and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Lipari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,717 in Lipari 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 $1,717 in Lipari. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.