Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,124 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,124

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,124 per month in Ljubljana vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ljubljana $2,124
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,142 per month in Ljubljana vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ljubljana $3,142
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,160 per month in Ljubljana vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ljubljana $4,160
Cape Town $3,306

Ljubljana costs about 39% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ljubljana and Cape Town sit above the global median – Ljubljana by 57%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.81 €14.08

$12.01 R 197

31.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.3

$42.92 R 703

55.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.05

$6.15 R 101

83.41%

Cappuccino

$2.87 €2.55

$2.37 R 38.81

21.10%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$1.27 R 20.84

158.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$0.94 R 15.37

118.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.47

$2.96 R 48.48

31.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 €4.18

$3.69 R 60.5

27.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.32 R 21.61

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.21 R 19.75

79.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.20 R 36.05

45.00%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.49

$3.10 R 50.8

26.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €13.01

$8.73 R 143

67.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 €8.85

$6.89 R 113

44.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 €13.28

$9.26 R 152

61.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.83 R 29.90

19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.95 R 31.94

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.66 R 27.16

37.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 €3.10

$2.14 R 34.99

62.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.58 R 25.86

-5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.47 R 24.15

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.35 R 22.05

28.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 R 18.75

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 €5.57

$3.58 R 58.6

74.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.72 €6.88

$6.05 R 99.2

27.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.39 R 22.82

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.18 R 35.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.40 R 22.88

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.85 €36.39

$60.8 R 995

-32.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.93 R 15.18

129.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.90 R 14.75

43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.13 €17.93

$4.96 R 81.3

305.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.54 R 25.23

21.43%

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

$28.9K €25.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-18.26%

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

$24.5K €21.8K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-26.58%

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

$279 €249

$117 R 1,918

138.66%

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

$16.04 €14.29

$25.71 R 421

-37.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.75 €34.52

$39.41 R 646

-1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.56

$51.6 R 846

-0.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.36 €21.70

$11.35 R 186

114.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.07

$8.89 R 146

14.51%

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

$646 €576

$308 R 5,040

110.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K €10.7K

$8,141 R 133.4K

47.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €103

$57.4 R 940

100.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 €38.14

$31.75 R 520

34.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.6

$116 R 1,900

-6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$101 R 1,650

45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,026

$1,047 R 17.1K

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €829

$669 R 11.0K

39.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 €2,086

$1,861 R 30.5K

25.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 €1,412

$1,407 R 23.1K

12.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,835 €6,088

$2,410 R 39.5K

183.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,012 €4,465

$1,570 R 25.7K

219.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,983 €1,766

$1,630 R 26.7K

21.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

10.89

-67.68%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$931 43.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 28.1% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$334 15.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.5% $152

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$301 14.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 25.8% $78

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$245 11.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 28.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$186 8.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$72 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 3% $2.1

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$56 2.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 27.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,152 in Ljubljana 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 22% higher in Ljubljana, 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 $67 in Ljubljana versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h ahead of Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

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

Ljubljana Cape Town 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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

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

Ljubljana costs about 39% 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 $3,186 per month in Ljubljana and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,152 in Ljubljana and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,124 in Ljubljana and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Ljubljana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,124 in Ljubljana and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,124 in Ljubljana. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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