Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,054 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,054

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,054 per month in Rome vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rome $2,054
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,178 per month in Rome vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rome $3,178
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,301 per month in Rome vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rome $4,301
Cape Town $3,306

Rome costs about 34% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rome and Cape Town sit above the global median – Rome by 52%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.92 €15.97

$12.01 R 197

49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 €59.9

$42.92 R 703

56.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.07

$6.15 R 101

83.90%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$2.37 R 38.81

-13.92%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.27 R 20.84

133.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.94 R 15.37

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 €6.09

$2.96 R 48.48

130.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.14

$3.69 R 60.5

86.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.32 R 21.61

30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.21 R 19.75

95.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.20 R 36.05

36.82%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$3.10 R 50.8

55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$8.73 R 143

74.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.83 €11.43

$6.89 R 113

86.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 €18.05

$9.26 R 152

118.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.83 R 29.90

38.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.95 R 31.94

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.66 R 27.16

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.14 R 34.99

20.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.58 R 25.86

0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.47 R 24.15

10.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.35 R 22.05

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$1.14 R 18.75

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.35

$3.58 R 58.6

99.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$6.05 R 99.2

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.39 R 22.82

14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.18 R 35.69

22.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.40 R 22.88

17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.38 €34.19

$60.8 R 995

-36.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.86

$0.93 R 15.18

487.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.90 R 14.75

74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.19 €32.24

$4.96 R 81.3

629.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.54 R 25.23

39.61%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.4K R 579.4K

0.13%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$33.4K R 546.7K

11.83%

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

$209 €186

$117 R 1,918

78.29%

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

$11.24 €10.02

$25.71 R 421

-56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.64 €28.18

$39.41 R 646

-19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 €59.1

$51.6 R 846

28.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.35 €20.80

$11.35 R 186

105.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.79

$8.89 R 146

23.62%

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

$496 €442

$308 R 5,040

61.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K €21.1K

$8,141 R 133.4K

190.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 €68.8

$57.4 R 940

34.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 €33.90

$31.75 R 520

19.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.3

$116 R 1,900

-22.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$101 R 1,650

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,201

$1,047 R 17.1K

28.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 €803

$669 R 11.0K

34.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,707 €2,411

$1,861 R 30.5K

45.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,522

$1,407 R 23.1K

21.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,692 €7,743

$2,410 R 39.5K

260.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,223 €2,871

$1,570 R 25.7K

105.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,972 €1,756

$1,630 R 26.7K

20.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

10.89

-67.68%

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

Last update for Rome: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$901 43.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 25.8% $232

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$337 16.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 33.8% $114

Eating Out

Rome

$267 13%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$252 12.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 27.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$150 7.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 21.5% $19

Getting Around

Rome

$58 2.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 23.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,348 in Rome 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 21% higher in Rome, 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 $67 in Rome versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

1 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Cape Town 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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

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

Rome costs about 34% 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 $3,081 per month in Rome 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,348 in Rome.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,054 in Rome and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Rome. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,054 in Rome 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 $2,054 in Rome. 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, Rome makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.