Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,345 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,345

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,345 per month in Rethymno vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rethymno $1,345
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,021 per month in Rethymno vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rethymno $2,021
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,697 per month in Rethymno vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rethymno $2,697
Cape Town $3,263

Rethymno is about 15% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rethymno and Cape Town sit above the global median – Rethymno by 0%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 €11.19

$12.14 R 200

3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 €49.49

$45.34 R 747

22.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 €8.79

$5.88 R 96.9

68.03%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.17

$2.50 R 41.18

42.40%

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

$1.65 €1.47

$1.27 R 20.94

29.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.98 R 16.14

-45.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.94

$2.99 R 49.33

48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$3.72 R 61.4

45.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.30 R 21.40

16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 R 20.68

0.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.23 R 36.76

-2.69%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.04

$3.11 R 51.2

46.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.03

$9.06 R 149

61.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 €8.29

$6.92 R 114

34.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.06 €13.40

$9.30 R 153

61.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.84 R 30.25

10.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.96 R 32.29

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.67 R 27.45

-26.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.17 R 35.70

-18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.57 R 25.81

-38.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.48 R 24.45

-35.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.30 R 21.41

-50.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$1.13 R 18.60

-36.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.60 R 59.3

21.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$6.15 R 101

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.38 R 22.66

28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.14 R 35.20

-11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.50 R 24.65

22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.91

$0.59 R 9.71

645.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.50 R 24.65

-27.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.32 €10.07

$5.11 R 84.2

121.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.55 R 25.50

45.16%

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

$22.4K €19.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-38.19%

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

$24.4K €21.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-21.87%

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

$193 €171

$114 R 1,883

68.46%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$28.91 R 476

-37.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$39.73 R 654

-23.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 €53.6

$49.01 R 808

22.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$8.50 €7.56

$9.15 R 151

-7.10%

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

$364 €324

$259 R 4,264

40.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,938 €3,503

$6,794 R 111.9K

-42.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 €79.7

$56.2 R 926

59.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.17 €9.94

$32.41 R 534

-65.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.93 €39.96

$121 R 1,987

-62.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.80 €38.96

$108 R 1,781

-59.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 €489

$1,021 R 16.8K

-46.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 €392

$717 R 11.8K

-38.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$1,824 R 30.1K

-50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$1,327 R 21.9K

-46.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,079 €3,628

$2,391 R 39.4K

70.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,948 €2,622

$1,542 R 25.4K

91.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,222 €1,087

$1,639 R 27.0K

-25.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

10.97

-60.80%

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

Last update for Rethymno: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rethymno

$441 32.8%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 62.5% $276

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$268 20%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 16.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$241 17.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 24.1% $58

Eating Out

Rethymno

$215 16%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 18% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 67.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$77 5.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 12.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Rethymno

$17 * 1.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 336% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $549 in Rethymno versus $1,021 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 34% higher in Cape Town, 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 $56.0 in Rethymno versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rethymno Cape Town 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rethymno
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

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

Cape Town costs about 18% more than Rethymno, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,017 per month in Rethymno and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rethymno, 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 $1,345 in Rethymno and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $364 per month in Rethymno and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rethymno, where all-in costs run around $1,345, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rethymno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rethymno costs $1,345 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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