Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,975 in Nantes, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Nantes
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Nantes Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Nantes

🇫🇷 France

$1,975

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,975 per month in Nantes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nantes $1,975
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,934 per month in Nantes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nantes $2,934
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,892 per month in Nantes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nantes $3,892
Cape Town $3,306

Nantes costs about 29% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nantes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Nantes by 46%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 €15.19

$12.01 R 198

42.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.57

$42.92 R 707

29.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.95

$6.15 R 101

81.79%

Cappuccino

$3.66 €3.25

$2.37 R 39.04

54.43%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$1.27 R 20.96

148.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.94 R 15.46

63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 €6.93

$2.96 R 48.77

163.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 €4.35

$3.69 R 60.8

32.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.32 R 21.73

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 €3.60

$1.21 R 19.87

233.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.20 R 36.26

41.82%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.20

$3.10 R 51.1

15.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.53 €22.73

$8.73 R 144

192.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.23 €10.89

$6.89 R 114

77.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 €16.64

$9.26 R 153

101.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.83 R 30.08

72.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.95 R 32.12

29.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.66 R 27.32

84.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$2.14 R 35.19

37.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.58 R 26.01

18.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.47 R 24.29

26.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.35 R 22.18

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$1.14 R 18.85

-41.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.65 €13.04

$3.58 R 59.0

309.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$6.05 R 99.7

13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.64 €3.24

$1.39 R 22.95

161.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.18 R 35.90

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.40 R 23.02

42.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 €54.4

$60.8 R 1,001

0.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.93 R 15.26

221.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.90 R 14.83

35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.03 €32.08

$4.96 R 81.7

626.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.54 R 25.37

44.81%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-3.61%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$33.4K R 549.9K

16.02%

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

$162 €144

$117 R 1,929

38.21%

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

$14.50 €12.91

$25.71 R 424

-43.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.40 €28.85

$39.41 R 649

-17.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.73 €28.25

$51.6 R 850

-38.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 €4.00

$11.35 R 187

-60.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 €11.84

$8.89 R 146

49.61%

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

$1,050 €935

$308 R 5,069

241.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,885 €7,911

$8,141 R 134.2K

9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 €83.4

$57.4 R 946

63.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.83 €31.01

$31.75 R 523

9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 €81.0

$116 R 1,911

-21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$101 R 1,660

34.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 €779

$1,047 R 17.2K

-16.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 €710

$669 R 11.0K

19.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 €1,563

$1,861 R 30.7K

-5.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 €1,142

$1,407 R 23.2K

-8.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,225 €4,653

$2,410 R 39.7K

116.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 €3,148

$1,570 R 25.9K

125.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,181 €2,832

$1,630 R 26.9K

95.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

10.89

-64.28%

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

Last update for Nantes: 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

Nantes

$797 40.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 16% $128

Groceries & Markets

Nantes

$392 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 43% $168

Eating Out

Nantes

$281 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 38.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantes

$209 10.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nantes

$160 8.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 13.8% $22

Getting Around

Nantes

$78 4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 8.2% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nantes

$58 3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 19% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $875 in Nantes 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 95% higher in Nantes. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Nantes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nantes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h ahead of Nantes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,204

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 →

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Between locations

Nantes Cape Town 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nantes
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

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

Nantes costs about 29% 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 $2,962 per month in Nantes 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 Nantes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $875 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,975 in Nantes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,050 per month in Nantes 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 $1,975 in Nantes and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,975 in Nantes. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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