Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicosia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,890 in Nicosia, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nicosia
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Nicosia Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Nicosia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,890

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,890 per month in Nicosia vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nicosia $1,890
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Nicosia vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nicosia $2,901
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,912 per month in Nicosia vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nicosia $3,912
Cape Town $3,307

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

Both Nicosia and Cape Town sit above the global median – Nicosia by 41%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.19

$11.78 R 194

44.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$46.55 R 768

45.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 €7.91

$5.96 R 98.4

48.66%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.23

$2.47 R 40.80

46.15%

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

$2.35 €2.10

$1.33 R 21.91

76.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.03 R 16.99

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 €3.91

$3.01 R 49.72

45.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.66 R 60.4

49.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.39 R 22.96

31.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.19 R 19.60

68.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.11 R 34.84

39.81%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$3.01 R 49.58

61.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 €11.93

$8.96 R 148

49.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 €8.11

$6.65 R 110

36.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 €11.68

$9.29 R 153

40.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$1.83 R 30.13

84.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.90 R 31.31

11.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.75 R 28.83

45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.08

$2.09 R 34.41

65.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.55 R 25.64

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.49 R 24.53

8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.30 R 21.41

-24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.16 R 19.19

-1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$3.71 R 61.2

54.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.82

$6.06 R 100

26.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.39 R 22.85

17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.20 R 36.32

27.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.51 R 24.98

76.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.82 €40.00

$61.0 R 1,006

-26.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 €5.51

$0.63 R 10.33

880.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.53 R 25.29

24.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$4.81 R 79.4

816.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.58 R 26.08

11.39%

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

$32.4K €28.9K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-8.72%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$31.7K R 523.8K

3.34%

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

$209 €186

$116 R 1,920

79.55%

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

$20.22 €18.04

$28.37 R 468

-28.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.19 €29.62

$40.69 R 671

-18.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.3 €65.4

$48.85 R 806

49.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 €16.83

$11.13 R 184

69.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.16

$8.83 R 146

28.88%

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

$516 €461

$261 R 4,314

97.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,230 €8,237

$6,702 R 110.6K

37.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$55.4 R 914

83.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 €49.71

$32.27 R 532

72.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €88.0

$118 R 1,939

-16.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$107 R 1,766

8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 €712

$1,015 R 16.7K

-21.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 €618

$715 R 11.8K

-3.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 €1,526

$1,801 R 29.7K

-5.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,193

$1,330 R 22.0K

0.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,098 €2,765

$2,331 R 38.5K

32.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,297 €2,050

$1,513 R 25.0K

51.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,901 €1,697

$1,636 R 27.0K

16.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.97

-59.16%

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

Last update for Nicosia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nicosia

$692 37.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 3.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Nicosia

$307 16.6%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 27.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nicosia

$262 14.2%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 29.3% $77

Eating Out

Nicosia

$252 13.6%

Cape Town

$174 11% 31.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nicosia

$167 9.1%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 15.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nicosia

$96 5.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 30.7% $30

Getting Around

Nicosia

$71 3.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 5.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in Nicosia versus $1,015 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 16% higher in Nicosia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Nicosia versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Nicosia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h behind Nicosia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,355 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nicosia Cape Town 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nicosia
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

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

Nicosia 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 $2,835 per month in Nicosia and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,890 in Nicosia and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Nicosia at $1,890. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nicosia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,890 in Nicosia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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