Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,911 in Mellieha, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mellieha, Malta
Cape Town, South Africa
Mellieha
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,911
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,911 per month in Mellieha vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mellieha $1,911
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,860 per month in Mellieha vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mellieha $2,860
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,810 per month in Mellieha vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mellieha $3,810
  • Cape Town $3,306

Mellieha costs about 25% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mellieha and Cape Town sit above the global median – Mellieha by 41%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.97 €15.11
$12.01 R 198
41.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.9 €57.8
$42.92 R 707
51.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.42 €9.28
$6.15 R 101
69.43%
Cappuccino
$2.81 €2.50
$2.37 R 39.04
18.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 €2.15
$1.27 R 20.96
90.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 €1.79
$0.94 R 15.46
113.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.98 €3.55
$2.96 R 48.77
34.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.66 €5.93
$3.69 R 60.8
80.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 €1.17
$1.32 R 21.73
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.21 R 19.87
12.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 €3.12
$2.20 R 36.26
59.55%
Eggs
$4.28 €3.81
$3.10 R 51.1
38.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.46 €9.31
$8.73 R 144
19.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.91 €8.82
$6.89 R 114
43.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.85 €15.89
$9.26 R 153
92.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.83 €3.41
$1.83 R 30.08
109.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 €2.38
$1.95 R 32.12
37.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 €3.48
$1.66 R 27.32
135.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.67 €3.27
$2.14 R 35.19
71.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.58 R 26.01
17.72%
Onion (1kg)
$3.43 €3.05
$1.47 R 24.29
133.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.35 R 22.18
27.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.14 R 18.85
-3.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.18 €5.50
$3.58 R 59.0
72.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.07 €5.40
$6.05 R 99.7
0.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 €2.19
$1.39 R 22.95
76.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.18 R 35.90
7.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.87 €2.56
$1.40 R 23.02
105.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.8 R 1,001
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$0.93 R 15.26
329.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 €1.58
$0.90 R 14.83
96.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 €29.42
$4.96 R 81.7
566.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 €1.38
$1.54 R 25.37
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K €24.7K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-21.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.0K €34.7K
$33.4K R 549.9K
16.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 €94.3
$117 R 1,929
-9.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.89 €27.50
$25.71 R 424
20.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.79 €25.64
$39.41 R 649
-26.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.8 €57.7
$51.6 R 850
25.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.70 €19.32
$11.35 R 187
91.19%
Cinema Ticket
$8.59 €7.64
$8.89 R 146
-3.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$282 €251
$308 R 5,069
-8.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K €11.0K
$8,141 R 134.2K
51.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 €51.5
$57.4 R 946
0.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.38 €34.18
$31.75 R 523
20.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.2 €75.9
$116 R 1,911
-26.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.8 €65.7
$101 R 1,660
-26.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 €997
$1,047 R 17.2K
6.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$949 €845
$669 R 11.0K
41.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,771 €1,577
$1,861 R 30.7K
-4.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 €1,352
$1,407 R 23.2K
7.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,930 €3,499
$2,410 R 39.7K
63.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,941 €2,618
$1,570 R 25.9K
87.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mellieha
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,334 €1,188
$1,630 R 26.9K
-18.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
10.89
-62.81%

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

Last update for Mellieha: 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
Mellieha
$949
Cape Town
$669 29.5% $280
Groceries & Markets
Mellieha
$323
Cape Town
$223 30.9% $100
Eating Out
Mellieha
$252
Cape Town
$174 30.9% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mellieha
$166
Cape Town
$182 10.1% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Mellieha
$115
Cape Town
$138 19.8% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Mellieha
$82
Cape Town
$69 15.3% $13
Getting Around
Mellieha
$24 *
Cape Town
$72 195% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,120 in Mellieha 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 22% higher in Cape Town, 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 $65 in Mellieha versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Mellieha
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
12:42 12:42 PM
13:42 1:42 PM
1 h ahead of Mellieha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,087
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mellieha Cape Town 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mellieha
  • 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
Mellieha vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mellieha or Cape Town?
Mellieha costs about 25% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mellieha and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,866 per month in Mellieha and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mellieha compared to Cape Town?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,120 in Mellieha and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How much does it cost to live in Mellieha compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,911 in Mellieha and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 20% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Mellieha and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Mellieha and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mellieha or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,911 in Mellieha and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mellieha or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,911 in Mellieha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Mellieha vs other spots: cost of living compared

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