Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,852 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,852

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,852 per month in Split vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Split $1,852
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,830 per month in Split vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Split $2,830
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,808 per month in Split vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Split $3,808
Cape Town $3,306

Split costs about 21% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Split and Cape Town sit above the global median – Split by 37%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.86

$12.01 R 197

38.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 €65.8

$42.92 R 703

71.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.12

$6.15 R 101

84.72%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.50

$2.37 R 38.81

18.14%

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

$3.95 €3.52

$1.27 R 20.84

211.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.94 R 15.37

218.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 €4.35

$2.96 R 48.48

64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 €4.42

$3.69 R 60.5

34.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.32 R 21.61

-6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.21 R 19.75

79.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$2.20 R 36.05

61.36%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.71

$3.10 R 50.8

34.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 €11.55

$8.73 R 143

48.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.24 €8.23

$6.89 R 113

34.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 €11.61

$9.26 R 152

40.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.83 R 29.90

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.95 R 31.94

-5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.66 R 27.16

10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.14 R 34.99

33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.58 R 25.86

-0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.47 R 24.15

-17.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.35 R 22.05

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.14 R 18.75

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 €5.15

$3.58 R 58.6

61.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €8.11

$6.05 R 99.2

50.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.39 R 22.82

20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.18 R 35.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.40 R 22.88

17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.78 €34.54

$60.8 R 995

-36.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 €3.40

$0.93 R 15.18

310.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.90 R 14.75

134.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.80 €26.55

$4.96 R 81.3

500.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.54 R 25.23

25.97%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-20.85%

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

$24.2K €21.6K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-27.46%

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

$206 €184

$117 R 1,918

75.99%

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

$20.39 €18.16

$25.71 R 421

-20.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.49 €36.96

$39.41 R 646

5.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$51.6 R 846

20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.75

$11.35 R 186

16.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 €9.41

$8.89 R 146

18.79%

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

$607 €541

$308 R 5,040

97.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.9K

$8,141 R 133.4K

63.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.7

$57.4 R 940

63.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 €36.25

$31.75 R 520

28.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$116 R 1,900

1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 €85.2

$101 R 1,650

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 €895

$1,047 R 17.1K

-4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €650

$669 R 11.0K

9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 €1,731

$1,861 R 30.5K

4.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 €1,161

$1,407 R 23.1K

-7.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,189 €6,404

$2,410 R 39.5K

198.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,241 €4,669

$1,570 R 25.7K

233.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 €1,455

$1,630 R 26.7K

0.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

10.89

-68.41%

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

Last update for Split: 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

Split

$730 39.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 8.4% $61

Groceries & Markets

Split

$291 15.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 23.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$268 14.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 32% $86

Eating Out

Split

$263 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$157 8.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$83 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 16.6% $14

Getting Around

Split

$60 3.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 20.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,004 in Split 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Split versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

19:38 7:38 PM

1 h ahead of Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

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 = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Split Cape Town 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Split
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

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

Split costs about 21% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,778 per month in Split 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 $1,004 in Split 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 $1,852 in Split and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Split. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,852 in Split 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 $1,852 in Split. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.