Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makarska and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,613 in Makarska, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Makarska despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
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Makarska Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,613

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,613 per month in Makarska vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Makarska $1,613
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,481 per month in Makarska vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Makarska $2,481
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,349 per month in Makarska vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Makarska $3,349
Cape Town $3,306

Makarska costs about 6% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Makarska and Cape Town sit above the global median – Makarska by 19%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 €15.50

$12.01 R 198

44.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$42.92 R 707

79.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.06

$6.15 R 101

28.94%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.89

$2.37 R 39.04

37.13%

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

$4.00 €3.56

$1.27 R 20.96

214.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$0.94 R 15.46

225.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.96 R 48.77

84.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 €4.30

$3.69 R 60.8

30.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.32 R 21.73

-10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.21 R 19.87

37.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.20 R 36.26

38.18%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.48

$3.10 R 51.1

62.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 €13.34

$8.73 R 144

71.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 €8.53

$6.89 R 114

38.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 €10.78

$9.26 R 153

30.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.83 R 30.08

4.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.95 R 32.12

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.66 R 27.32

25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.14 R 35.19

24.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.58 R 26.01

39.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.47 R 24.29

41.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.35 R 22.18

17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.14 R 18.85

35.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.07

$3.58 R 59.0

58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.05

$6.05 R 99.7

30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 R 22.95

-1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.18 R 35.90

-32.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.40 R 23.02

20.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.77 €38.97

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.94

$0.93 R 15.26

254.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.90 R 14.83

53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.47 €11.99

$4.96 R 81.7

171.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.54 R 25.37

7.14%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-26.05%

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

$24.6K €21.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-26.17%

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

$181 €161

$117 R 1,929

54.71%

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

$27.54 €24.52

$25.71 R 424

7.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.92 €38.22

$39.41 R 649

8.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.03

$51.6 R 850

0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.42 €13.73

$11.35 R 187

35.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.67 €9.50

$8.89 R 146

20.02%

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

$412 €366

$308 R 5,069

33.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,854 €6,103

$8,141 R 134.2K

-15.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €81.0

$57.4 R 946

58.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.42 €39.55

$31.75 R 523

39.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$116 R 1,911

-10.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 €70.7

$101 R 1,660

-21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 €610

$1,047 R 17.2K

-34.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 €468

$669 R 11.0K

-21.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,035

$1,861 R 30.7K

-37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 €768

$1,407 R 23.2K

-38.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 €3,551

$2,410 R 39.7K

65.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,885 €2,569

$1,570 R 25.9K

83.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

10.89

-65.84%

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

Last update for Makarska: 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

Makarska

$525 32.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 27.4% $144

Groceries & Markets

Makarska

$292 18.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 23.6% $69

Eating Out

Makarska

$267 16.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makarska

$252 15.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 27.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Makarska

$143 8.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 4.1% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Makarska

$73 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 5% $3.7

Getting Around

Makarska

$61 3.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Makarska 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 $77 in Makarska versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Makarska

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

1 h ahead of Makarska

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,809

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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Makarska Cape Town 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Makarska
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

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

Makarska costs about 6% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,420 per month in Makarska 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 Makarska, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $685 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,613 in Makarska and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Makarska. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,613 in Makarska 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 $1,613 in Makarska. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.