Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,886 in Modena, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,886

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,886 per month in Modena vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Modena $1,886
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,045 per month in Modena vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Modena $3,045
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,205 per month in Modena vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Modena $4,205
Cape Town $3,306

Modena costs about 23% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Modena and Cape Town sit above the global median – Modena by 39%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.65

$12.01 R 198

83.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$42.92 R 707

109.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.77

$6.15 R 101

114.96%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.71

$2.37 R 39.04

-18.99%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$1.27 R 20.96

143.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.94 R 15.46

64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 €6.06

$2.96 R 48.77

130.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.01

$3.69 R 60.8

52.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.32 R 21.73

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.21 R 19.87

107.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.20 R 36.26

-21.36%

Eggs

$5.11 €4.55

$3.10 R 51.1

64.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.49 €18.25

$8.73 R 144

134.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 €12.26

$6.89 R 114

99.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.14 €18.83

$9.26 R 153

128.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.83 R 30.08

45.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.95 R 32.12

30.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$1.66 R 27.32

98.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.14 R 35.19

45.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.58 R 26.01

49.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.47 R 24.29

12.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 R 22.18

1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.14 R 18.85

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 €5.88

$3.58 R 59.0

84.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €8.02

$6.05 R 99.7

48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.39 R 22.95

10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.18 R 35.90

20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.40 R 23.02

58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.74 €33.60

$60.8 R 1,001

-37.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 €4.36

$0.93 R 15.26

425.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.90 R 14.83

92.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 €29.90

$4.96 R 81.7

577.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.54 R 25.37

38.31%

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

$36.7K €32.7K

$35.4K R 582.8K

3.73%

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

$36.1K €32.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

8.26%

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

$193 €172

$117 R 1,929

65.26%

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

$13.39 €11.93

$25.71 R 424

-47.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.09 €27.68

$39.41 R 649

-21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.3 €61.7

$51.6 R 850

34.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.84 €20.34

$11.35 R 187

101.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 €10.03

$8.89 R 146

26.77%

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

$757 €674

$308 R 5,069

146.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K €21.1K

$8,141 R 134.2K

191.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.1

$57.4 R 946

48.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 €37.87

$31.75 R 523

33.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 €87.4

$116 R 1,911

-15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.1

$101 R 1,660

3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 €751

$1,047 R 17.2K

-19.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 €598

$669 R 11.0K

0.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 €1,495

$1,861 R 30.7K

-9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$1,407 R 23.2K

-4.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,575 €3,183

$2,410 R 39.7K

48.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,297 €2,045

$1,570 R 25.9K

46.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,925

$1,630 R 26.9K

32.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

10.89

-69.79%

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

Last update for Modena: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Modena

$671 35.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 0.3% $2

Groceries & Markets

Modena

$373 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 40.1% $149

Eating Out

Modena

$303 16.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 42.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modena

$238 12.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 23.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Modena

$149 7.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 7.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Modena

$92 4.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 24.5% $22

Getting Around

Modena

$60 3.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 19.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Modena 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 33% higher in Modena. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Modena versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Modena

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

1 h ahead of Modena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

184,973

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 = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Modena Cape Town 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Modena
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

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

Modena costs about 23% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,828 per month in Modena 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 Modena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $844 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,886 in Modena and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Modena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,886 in Modena 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,886 in Modena. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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