Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,863 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Siena
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Siena Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,863

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,863 per month in Siena vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Siena $1,863
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,793 per month in Siena vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Siena $2,793
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Siena vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Siena $3,724
Cape Town $3,306

Siena costs about 22% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Siena and Cape Town sit above the global median – Siena by 38%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 €13.91

$12.01 R 198

30.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 €78.7

$42.92 R 707

105.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.01

$6.15 R 101

119.35%

Cappuccino

$1.90 €1.69

$2.37 R 39.04

-19.83%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.27 R 20.96

129.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.94 R 15.46

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 €5.34

$2.96 R 48.77

102.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 €4.91

$3.69 R 60.8

49.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.32 R 21.73

10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.21 R 19.87

85.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.20 R 36.26

-25.00%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.48

$3.10 R 51.1

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 €12.01

$8.73 R 144

54.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.51

$6.89 R 114

71.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.20 €18.88

$9.26 R 153

128.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.83 R 30.08

40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.95 R 32.12

12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.66 R 27.32

96.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.14 R 35.19

45.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.58 R 26.01

20.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.47 R 24.29

6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 R 22.18

1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.14 R 18.85

-50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €6.15

$3.58 R 59.0

92.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.02

$6.05 R 99.7

11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.39 R 22.95

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.18 R 35.90

16.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.40 R 23.02

37.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.76 €36.29

$60.8 R 1,001

-32.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 €4.38

$0.93 R 15.26

429.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.90 R 14.83

90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 €30.10

$4.96 R 81.7

581.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.54 R 25.37

27.92%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-21.61%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

7.89%

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

$193 €172

$117 R 1,929

65.21%

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

$13.03 €11.60

$25.71 R 424

-49.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.60 €28.13

$39.41 R 649

-19.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.0 €63.2

$51.6 R 850

37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.14

$8.89 R 146

28.12%

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

$774 €689

$308 R 5,069

151.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K €21.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

192.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$57.4 R 946

47.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 €32.91

$31.75 R 523

16.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.2

$116 R 1,911

-16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €93.0

$101 R 1,660

3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 €1,014

$1,047 R 17.2K

8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 €671

$669 R 11.0K

12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,571

$1,861 R 30.7K

-5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 €1,005

$1,407 R 23.2K

-19.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,474 €3,983

$2,410 R 39.7K

85.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,879 €3,454

$1,570 R 25.9K

147.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,862 €1,658

$1,630 R 26.9K

14.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

10.89

-69.79%

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

Last update for Siena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$753 40.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 11.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$324 17.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.1% $101

Eating Out

Siena

$247 13.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 29.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$238 12.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 23.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$145 7.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 5.2% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$94 5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 26% $24

Getting Around

Siena

$62 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 15.8% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,139 in Siena 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 14% higher in Siena, 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 $88 in Siena versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

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 = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Siena Cape Town 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Siena
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

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

Siena costs about 22% 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 $2,795 per month in Siena and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,139 in Siena and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,863 in Siena and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Siena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,863 in Siena and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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