Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,479 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,479

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,479 per month in Matera vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Matera $1,479
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,363 per month in Matera vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Matera $2,363
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,247 per month in Matera vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Matera $3,247
Cape Town $3,306

Matera is about 3% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Matera and Cape Town sit above the global median – Matera by 9%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.20 €13.54

$12.01 R 197

26.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 €55.3

$42.92 R 703

44.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 €10.00

$6.15 R 101

82.60%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$2.37 R 38.81

-23.21%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.27 R 20.84

79.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.94 R 15.37

22.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.08

$2.96 R 48.48

92.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$3.69 R 60.5

-7.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.32 R 21.61

18.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.21 R 19.75

42.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.20 R 36.05

49.09%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.14

$3.10 R 50.8

13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.71 €13.99

$8.73 R 143

79.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 €11.27

$6.89 R 113

83.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.40

$9.26 R 152

123.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.83 R 29.90

37.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.95 R 31.94

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.66 R 27.16

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$2.14 R 34.99

73.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.58 R 25.86

8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.47 R 24.15

12.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.35 R 22.05

9.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.39

$1.14 R 18.75

-62.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.96

$3.58 R 58.6

86.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 €5.50

$6.05 R 99.2

1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.39 R 22.82

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.18 R 35.69

42.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.40 R 22.88

18.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.31 €18.09

$60.8 R 995

-66.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.94

$0.93 R 15.18

375.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.90 R 14.75

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.45 €20.89

$4.96 R 81.3

372.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.54 R 25.23

31.17%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$35.4K R 579.4K

2.25%

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

$36.6K €32.6K

$33.4K R 546.7K

9.56%

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

$201 €179

$117 R 1,918

71.91%

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

$9.55 €8.51

$25.71 R 421

-62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.29 €27.87

$39.41 R 646

-20.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €49.57

$51.6 R 846

7.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.84

$11.35 R 186

106.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €9.00

$8.89 R 146

13.72%

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

$443 €395

$308 R 5,040

44.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,947 €7,079

$8,141 R 133.4K

-2.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 €59.1

$57.4 R 940

15.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.22 €38.50

$31.75 R 520

36.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$116 R 1,900

-9.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$101 R 1,650

33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 €640

$1,047 R 17.1K

-31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €367

$669 R 11.0K

-38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 €938

$1,861 R 30.5K

-43.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 €759

$1,407 R 23.1K

-39.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,770 €2,468

$2,410 R 39.5K

14.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,885

$1,570 R 25.7K

106.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,739 €1,549

$1,630 R 26.7K

6.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

10.89

-71.72%

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

Last update for Matera: 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

Matera

$412 27.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 62.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$328 22.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 32% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$242 16.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 24.7% $60

Eating Out

Matera

$226 15.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 23.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$157 10.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$76 5.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 8.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Matera

$37 2.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 92% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $718 in Matera 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 7% higher in Matera, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Matera versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

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

Matera Cape Town 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
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

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

Cape Town costs about 3% more than Matera, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,219 per month in Matera 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 Matera, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $718 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,479 in Matera and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Matera about 3% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,479 in Matera 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 $1,479 in Matera to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.