Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rhodes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,714 in Rhodes, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Rhodes despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Rhodes
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Rhodes Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rhodes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,714

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,714 per month in Rhodes vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rhodes $1,714
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,673 per month in Rhodes vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rhodes $2,673
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,632 per month in Rhodes vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rhodes $3,632
Cape Town $3,263

Rhodes costs about 8% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rhodes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Rhodes by 27%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.38 €16.35

$12.14 R 200

51.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.5

$45.34 R 747

47.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 €8.45

$5.88 R 96.9

61.56%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.92

$2.50 R 41.18

76.00%

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

$2.53 €2.25

$1.27 R 20.94

99.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.82

$0.98 R 16.14

-5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 €4.77

$2.99 R 49.33

79.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.44

$3.72 R 61.4

3.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.30 R 21.40

66.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.25 R 20.68

44.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.14 €4.57

$2.23 R 36.76

130.49%

Eggs

$6.40 €5.69

$3.11 R 51.2

105.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 €14.51

$9.06 R 149

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €10.10

$6.92 R 114

64.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.09 €16.09

$9.30 R 153

94.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.84 R 30.25

19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.96 R 32.29

9.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.67 R 27.45

-7.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.17 R 35.70

11.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.57 R 25.81

8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.48 R 24.45

26.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.30 R 21.41

3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$1.13 R 18.60

-36.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 €4.52

$3.60 R 59.3

41.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.15 R 101

28.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.38 R 22.66

89.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.14 R 35.20

-21.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.50 R 24.65

65.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 €65.6

$60.8 R 1,001

21.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.59 R 9.71

476.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.50 R 24.65

-4.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.98 €9.77

$5.11 R 84.2

114.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.55 R 25.50

37.42%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-21.52%

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

$26.1K €23.2K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-16.57%

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

$221 €197

$114 R 1,883

93.70%

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

$26.02 €23.15

$28.91 R 476

-10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$39.73 R 654

-26.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 €54.1

$49.01 R 808

24.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.00 €34.69

$10.99 R 181

254.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.79

$9.15 R 151

-4.26%

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

$476 €423

$259 R 4,264

83.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,017 €8,021

$6,794 R 111.9K

32.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$152 €135

$56.2 R 926

170.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 €29.98

$32.41 R 534

3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$121 R 1,987

-6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €143

$108 R 1,781

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 €504

$1,021 R 16.8K

-44.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €390

$717 R 11.8K

-38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 €907

$1,824 R 30.1K

-44.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 €692

$1,327 R 21.9K

-41.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,673 €3,267

$2,391 R 39.4K

53.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,722 €1,532

$1,542 R 25.4K

11.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,344 €1,196

$1,639 R 27.0K

-17.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

10.97

-58.71%

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

Last update for Rhodes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rhodes

$438 25.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 63.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Rhodes

$343 20%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 34.4% $118

Eating Out

Rhodes

$277 16.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 36.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rhodes

$277 16.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 33.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Rhodes

$207 12.1%

Cape Town

$143 9% 30.9% $64

Getting Around

Rhodes

$94 5.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 20.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rhodes

$78 4.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Rhodes 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 22% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Rhodes versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rhodes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h behind Rhodes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,128

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

Rhodes Cape Town 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rhodes
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

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

Rhodes costs about 8% 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 $2,571 per month in Rhodes 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 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 $1,714 in Rhodes and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 21% 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 $1,586, than in Rhodes at $1,714. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rhodes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,714 in Rhodes. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rhodes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.