Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,845 in Msida, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,845 per month in Msida vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Msida $1,845
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,817 per month in Msida vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Msida $2,817
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,790 per month in Msida vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Msida $3,790
Cape Town $3,306

Msida costs about 21% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Msida and Cape Town sit above the global median – Msida by 36%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 €10.02

$12.01 R 198

-6.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 €44.56

$42.92 R 707

16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$6.15 R 101

80.16%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$2.37 R 39.04

-8.44%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.27 R 20.96

77.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.94 R 15.46

18.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.66 €4.15

$2.96 R 48.77

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.69 R 60.8

-6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.32 R 21.73

-14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.21 R 19.87

6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 €3.97

$2.20 R 36.26

102.73%

Eggs

$2.72 €2.42

$3.10 R 51.1

-12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 €7.31

$8.73 R 144

-5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.22

$6.89 R 114

50.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.22

$9.26 R 153

96.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 €3.68

$1.83 R 30.08

125.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.95 R 32.12

37.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.66 R 27.32

118.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.14 R 35.19

60.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.58 R 26.01

44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.47 R 24.29

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.35 R 22.18

68.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.14 R 18.85

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.91

$3.58 R 59.0

85.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 €7.43

$6.05 R 99.7

38.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.39 R 22.95

22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.18 R 35.90

7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.40 R 23.02

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$0.93 R 15.26

486.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.90 R 14.83

147.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.67 €23.75

$4.96 R 81.7

437.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.54 R 25.37

-3.90%

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

$37.1K €33.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

4.96%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

18.36%

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

$84.2 €75.0

$117 R 1,929

-28.04%

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

$25.32 €22.54

$25.71 R 424

-1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.44 €25.32

$39.41 R 649

-27.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.97

$51.6 R 850

8.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.88

$8.89 R 146

12.15%

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

$366 €326

$308 R 5,069

19.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,005 €8,018

$8,141 R 134.2K

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.1

$57.4 R 946

50.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 €35.73

$31.75 R 523

26.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €87.8

$116 R 1,911

-14.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €68.9

$101 R 1,660

-23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €951

$1,047 R 17.2K

2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 €853

$669 R 11.0K

43.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,033 €1,810

$1,861 R 30.7K

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 €1,552

$1,407 R 23.2K

23.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,747 €2,446

$1,630 R 26.9K

68.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

10.89

-73.37%

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

Last update for Msida: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Msida

$958 51.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 30.1% $289

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$318 17.3%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 29.9% $95

Eating Out

Msida

$193 10.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 9.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$138 7.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 32% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 8.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 184% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,068 in Msida 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 69% higher in Msida. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Msida versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

08:54 8:54 AM

1 h ahead of Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Msida Cape Town 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Msida
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

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

Msida costs about 21% 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 $2,767 per month in Msida and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,068 in Msida and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,845 in Msida and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $366 per month in Msida and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,845 in Msida 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 $1,845 in Msida. 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, Msida makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.