Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Malta and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,989 in Malta, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Malta Living Index95Cost of Living Index in MaltaLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index74Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Malta is 20.4% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 30.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Malta is 31.7% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 25% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.47 €14.67
$12.01 R 198
37.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.0 €75.7
$42.92 R 707
98.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.47 €10.21
$6.15 R 101
86.50%
Cappuccino
$2.74 €2.44
$2.37 R 39.04
15.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 €2.31
$1.27 R 20.96
104.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.50
$0.94 R 15.46
79.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.94
$2.96 R 48.77
49.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 €3.89
$3.69 R 60.8
18.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.32 R 21.73
2.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 €1.17
$1.21 R 19.87
9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.76 €3.35
$2.20 R 36.26
70.91%
Eggs
$4.01 €3.57
$3.10 R 51.1
29.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.84 €9.65
$8.73 R 144
24.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.70 €8.64
$6.89 R 114
40.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.53 €14.72
$9.26 R 153
78.51%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 €2.75
$1.83 R 30.08
68.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$1.95 R 32.12
14.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 €2.46
$1.66 R 27.32
66.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.19 €2.84
$2.14 R 35.19
49.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.58 R 26.01
17.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.47 R 24.29
40.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 €1.71
$1.35 R 22.18
42.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 €0.84
$1.14 R 18.85
-16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.12
$3.58 R 59.0
91.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.20 €7.30
$6.05 R 99.7
35.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.39 R 22.95
25.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.13
$2.18 R 35.90
9.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.40 R 23.02
55.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.8 R 1,001
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.74 €5.12
$0.93 R 15.26
517.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.18 €1.94
$0.90 R 14.83
142.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.69 €24.66
$4.96 R 81.7
458.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.54 R 25.37
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-20.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$33.4K R 549.9K
15.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 €94.4
$117 R 1,929
-9.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.36 €23.47
$25.71 R 424
2.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.18 €30.43
$39.41 R 649
-13.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.3 €61.7
$51.6 R 850
34.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.41 €19.07
$11.35 R 187
88.63%
Cinema Ticket
$11.10 €9.89
$8.89 R 146
24.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$449 €400
$308 R 5,069
46.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.1K
$8,141 R 134.2K
38.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.5 €88.6
$57.4 R 946
73.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.58 €40.59
$31.75 R 523
43.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.0
$116 R 1,911
-11.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$101 R 1,660
18.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 €1,088
$1,047 R 17.2K
16.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$991 €882
$669 R 11.0K
48.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,123 €1,891
$1,861 R 30.7K
14.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,679 €1,495
$1,407 R 23.2K
19.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,456 €3,967
$2,410 R 39.7K
84.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,316 €2,953
$1,570 R 25.9K
111.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malta
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,781 €1,586
$1,630 R 26.9K
9.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.09
10.89
-62.44%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Malta: November 1, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Malta $991 49.8%
Cape Town $669 43.8% 32.5% $322
Groceries & Markets
Malta $303 15.2%
Cape Town $223 14.6% 26.3% $80
Eating Out
Malta $247 12.4%
Cape Town $174 11.4% 29.6% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malta $167 8.4%
Cape Town $182 11.9% 9.4% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Malta $165 8.3%
Cape Town $138 9% 16.6% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Malta $92 4.6%
Cape Town $69 4.5% 24.2% $22
Getting Around
Malta $25 * 1.3%
Cape Town $72 4.7% 183% $46
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Accommodation & Living
Malta $1.7K 40.7%
Cape Town $1.4K 42.6% 16.2% $272
Groceries & Markets
Malta $710 17.2%
Cape Town $518 15.7% 27% $191
Eating Out
Malta $923 22.4%
Cape Town $570 17.3% 38.2% $353
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malta $193 4.7%
Cape Town $208 6.3% 7.8% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Malta $367 8.9%
Cape Town $306 9.3% 16.6% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Malta $204 5%
Cape Town $150 4.5% 26.6% $54
Getting Around
Malta $55 * 1.3%
Cape Town $146 4.4% 166% $91
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Good to know
🇲🇹 Malta
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
553,214
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Malta Cape Town 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
- Malta
- 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
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