Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucca and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,053 in Lucca, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lucca
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Lucca Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lucca

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,053

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,053 per month in Lucca vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lucca $2,053
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,027 per month in Lucca vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lucca $3,027
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,000 per month in Lucca vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lucca $4,000
Cape Town $3,306

Lucca costs about 34% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lucca and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lucca by 52%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 €18.16

$12.01 R 197

69.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 €71.1

$42.92 R 703

85.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.57 €10.30

$6.15 R 101

88.13%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$2.37 R 38.81

-11.39%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$1.27 R 20.84

156.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.94 R 15.37

51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.86

$2.96 R 48.48

122.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.69 R 60.5

55.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.32 R 21.61

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.21 R 19.75

99.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$2.20 R 36.05

26.82%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.10 R 50.8

30.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.85 €18.57

$8.73 R 143

138.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.84 €13.22

$6.89 R 113

115.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.52 €18.28

$9.26 R 152

121.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.83 R 29.90

39.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.95 R 31.94

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.66 R 27.16

54.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 €2.86

$2.14 R 34.99

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.58 R 25.86

19.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.47 R 24.15

45.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.35 R 22.05

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.14 R 18.75

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.02 €6.25

$3.58 R 58.6

96.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.04

$6.05 R 99.2

30.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.39 R 22.82

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.18 R 35.69

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.40 R 22.88

32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.36 €30.61

$60.8 R 995

-43.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.19

$0.93 R 15.18

405.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.90 R 14.75

91.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 €25.20

$4.96 R 81.3

470.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.54 R 25.23

37.01%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-1.62%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$33.4K R 546.7K

13.50%

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

$333 €297

$117 R 1,918

184.62%

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

$12.25 €10.91

$25.71 R 421

-52.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.52 €28.97

$39.41 R 646

-17.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 €64.3

$51.6 R 846

39.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.73 €44.30

$11.35 R 186

338.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.80

$8.89 R 146

11.14%

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

$629 €560

$308 R 5,040

104.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$8,141 R 133.4K

39.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$57.4 R 940

77.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.22 €42.06

$31.75 R 520

48.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.8

$116 R 1,900

-21.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €152

$101 R 1,650

69.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 €703

$1,047 R 17.1K

-24.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €608

$669 R 11.0K

2.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 €1,292

$1,861 R 30.5K

-22.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 €881

$1,407 R 23.1K

-29.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,078 €3,633

$2,410 R 39.5K

69.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,165 €1,929

$1,570 R 25.7K

37.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,792 €1,596

$1,630 R 26.7K

9.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

10.89

-66.02%

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

Last update for Lucca: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lucca

$683 33.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucca

$378 18.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 51.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Lucca

$374 18.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 40.4% $151

Eating Out

Lucca

$286 13.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 39.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Lucca

$185 9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lucca

$92 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 24.5% $23

Getting Around

Lucca

$55 2.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 30.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Lucca 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 10% higher in Lucca, 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 Lucca versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Lucca

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h ahead of Lucca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,046

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lucca Cape Town 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lucca
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

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

Lucca costs about 34% 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 $3,080 per month in Lucca 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 Lucca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,053 in Lucca and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Lucca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,053 in Lucca 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 $2,053 in Lucca. 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, Lucca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.