Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olbia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,729 in Olbia, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,729

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in Olbia vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olbia $1,729
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,544 per month in Olbia vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olbia $2,544
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Olbia vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Olbia $3,359
Cape Town $3,306

Olbia costs about 13% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Olbia and Cape Town sit above the global median – Olbia by 28%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.62

$12.01 R 198

64.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.7

$42.92 R 707

79.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 €9.05

$6.15 R 101

65.37%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.37 R 39.04

-17.72%

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

$3.27 €2.91

$1.27 R 20.96

157.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.94 R 15.46

56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.96 R 48.77

6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.69 R 60.8

-6.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.32 R 21.73

15.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.21 R 19.87

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.20 R 36.26

16.36%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.41

$3.10 R 51.1

23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.21 €15.32

$8.73 R 144

97.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 €10.36

$6.89 R 114

68.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.13 €16.14

$9.26 R 153

95.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.83 R 30.08

17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.95 R 32.12

-9.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.66 R 27.32

40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.14 R 35.19

28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.58 R 26.01

-6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.47 R 24.29

-8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.35 R 22.18

12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$1.14 R 18.85

-64.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €6.12

$3.58 R 59.0

92.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$6.05 R 99.7

8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.39 R 22.95

13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.18 R 35.90

-27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.40 R 23.02

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 €15.11

$60.8 R 1,001

-72.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 €5.08

$0.93 R 15.26

513.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.90 R 14.83

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.24 €26.93

$4.96 R 81.7

509.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.54 R 25.37

30.52%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.13%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

7.45%

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

$157 €140

$117 R 1,929

34.24%

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

$8.74 €7.79

$25.71 R 424

-66.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 €20.74

$39.41 R 649

-40.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 €32.69

$51.6 R 850

-28.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.31 €25.20

$11.35 R 187

149.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.02

$8.89 R 146

26.55%

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

$321 €286

$308 R 5,069

4.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,307

$8,141 R 134.2K

28.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.9 €84.5

$57.4 R 946

65.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.04 €38.32

$31.75 R 523

35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 €83.4

$116 R 1,911

-19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €104

$101 R 1,660

15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$899 €800

$1,047 R 17.2K

-14.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 €645

$669 R 11.0K

8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,210

$1,861 R 30.7K

-26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €845

$1,407 R 23.2K

-32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,245 €2,890

$2,410 R 39.7K

34.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,613 €2,327

$1,570 R 25.9K

66.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,936 €1,723

$1,630 R 26.9K

18.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

10.89

-69.97%

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

Last update for Olbia: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olbia

$724 41.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 7.6% $55

Groceries & Markets

Olbia

$312 18%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 28.4% $89

Eating Out

Olbia

$254 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 31.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olbia

$189 10.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 3.7% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Olbia

$157 9.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Olbia

$59 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 17.2% $10

Getting Around

Olbia

$34 2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 109% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $899 in Olbia 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 19% higher in Olbia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Olbia versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Olbia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

1 h ahead of Olbia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,512

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 = 5.43 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 = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Olbia Cape Town 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Olbia
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

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

Olbia costs about 13% 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 $2,593 per month in Olbia 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 Olbia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $899 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,729 in Olbia and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Olbia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,729 in Olbia 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 $1,729 in Olbia. 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, Olbia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.