Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Martin and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Martin: $1,400 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Martin
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Martin Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Martin

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,400

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,400 per month in Martin vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Martin $1,400
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Martin vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Martin $2,006
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,613 per month in Martin vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Martin $2,613
Cape Town $3,306

Martin is about 8% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Martin and Cape Town sit above the global median – Martin by 4%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.01 €8.03

$12.01 R 198

-24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.62 €39.73

$42.92 R 707

3.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 €8.07

$6.15 R 101

47.32%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.45

$2.37 R 39.04

16.03%

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

$1.94 €1.72

$1.27 R 20.96

52.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.94 R 15.46

32.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.96 R 48.77

-28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.69 R 60.8

-39.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.32 R 21.73

-20.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.21 R 19.87

22.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.20 R 36.26

-6.36%

Eggs

$3.51 €3.13

$3.10 R 51.1

13.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.32

$8.73 R 144

45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.86

$6.89 R 114

11.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 €11.25

$9.26 R 153

36.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.83 R 30.08

-31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.95 R 32.12

-12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.66 R 27.32

37.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.14 R 35.19

-2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.58 R 26.01

-16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.47 R 24.29

2.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.35 R 22.18

22.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.14 R 18.85

-25.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 €5.25

$3.58 R 59.0

64.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.78 €4.25

$6.05 R 99.7

-20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.39 R 22.95

-26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.18 R 35.90

-16.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.40 R 23.02

2.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.49 €25.37

$60.8 R 1,001

-53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.93 R 15.26

82.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.90 R 14.83

38.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.51 €20.04

$4.96 R 81.7

353.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.54 R 25.37

15.58%

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

$22.8K €20.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-35.52%

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

$26.8K €23.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-19.70%

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

$304 €270

$117 R 1,929

159.41%

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

$19.57 €17.42

$25.71 R 424

-23.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.18 €10.85

$39.41 R 649

-69.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 €32.69

$51.6 R 850

-28.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.91 €15.06

$11.35 R 187

48.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 €8.16

$8.89 R 146

3.04%

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

$342 €305

$308 R 5,069

11.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$8,141 R 134.2K

56.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 €62.2

$57.4 R 946

21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.63 €12.13

$31.75 R 523

-57.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 €69.2

$116 R 1,911

-33.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 €81.6

$101 R 1,660

-9.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 €450

$1,047 R 17.2K

-51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 €403

$669 R 11.0K

-32.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 €675

$1,861 R 30.7K

-59.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 €607

$1,407 R 23.2K

-51.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,250 €2,004

$2,410 R 39.7K

-6.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,727 €1,538

$1,570 R 25.9K

10.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,513 €1,347

$1,630 R 26.9K

-7.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

10.89

-65.20%

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

Last update for Martin: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Martin

$453 32.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 47.8% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Martin

$335 24%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Martin

$240 17.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 7.1% $17

Eating Out

Martin

$160 11.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 8.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Martin

$114 8.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 21% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Martin

$55 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 26.1% $14

Getting Around

Martin

$42 3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 70% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Martin 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 8% higher in Cape Town, 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 $45 in Martin versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Martin

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

1 h ahead of Martin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,794

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Martin Cape Town 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Martin
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

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

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Martin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,100 per month in Martin 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 Martin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $506 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,400 in Martin and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Martin about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Martin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,400 in Martin to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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