Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trieste and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,892 in Trieste, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,892

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Trieste vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Trieste $1,892
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,846 per month in Trieste vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Trieste $2,846
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,801 per month in Trieste vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Trieste $3,801
Cape Town $3,306

Trieste costs about 24% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Trieste and Cape Town sit above the global median – Trieste by 40%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.69

$12.01 R 197

84.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$42.92 R 703

54.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 €10.43

$6.15 R 101

90.41%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.37 R 38.81

-10.13%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$1.27 R 20.84

200.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.94 R 15.37

129.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.86

$2.96 R 48.48

122.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.92

$3.69 R 60.5

49.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.32 R 21.61

67.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.21 R 19.75

155.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.20 R 36.05

74.55%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$3.10 R 50.8

36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.02 €13.38

$8.73 R 143

72.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 €10.29

$6.89 R 113

67.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.53 €15.62

$9.26 R 152

89.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.83 R 29.90

50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.95 R 31.94

11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.66 R 27.16

88.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 €4.06

$2.14 R 34.99

112.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.58 R 25.86

61.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.47 R 24.15

75.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.35 R 22.05

70.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.14 R 18.75

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.12

$3.58 R 58.6

91.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.12

$6.05 R 99.2

32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.39 R 22.82

25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.18 R 35.69

14.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.40 R 22.88

22.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.42 €39.57

$60.8 R 995

-26.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.60 €6.77

$0.93 R 15.18

717.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.90 R 14.75

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.95 €25.78

$4.96 R 81.3

483.67%

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)

$35.2K €31.4K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-0.43%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$33.4K R 546.7K

14.58%

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

$219 €195

$117 R 1,918

86.79%

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

$10.05 €8.96

$25.71 R 421

-60.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.22

$39.41 R 646

-22.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.19 €42.93

$51.6 R 846

-6.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.93 €36.46

$11.35 R 186

260.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.97 €7.99

$8.89 R 146

0.90%

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

$748 €666

$308 R 5,040

143.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$8,141 R 133.4K

58.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.0

$57.4 R 940

87.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.41 €35.10

$31.75 R 520

24.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$116 R 1,900

-2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$101 R 1,650

31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 €701

$1,047 R 17.1K

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €581

$669 R 11.0K

-2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 €1,222

$1,861 R 30.5K

-26.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 €910

$1,407 R 23.1K

-27.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,792 €3,378

$2,410 R 39.5K

57.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 €2,093

$1,570 R 25.7K

49.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,004 €1,785

$1,630 R 26.7K

22.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

10.89

-70.06%

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

Last update for Trieste: 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

Trieste

$652 34.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 2.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Trieste

$364 19.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.7% $141

Eating Out

Trieste

$305 16.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 43% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trieste

$259 13.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 29.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Trieste

$177 9.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 22.2% $39

Getting Around

Trieste

$68 3.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 5.2% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Trieste

$66 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.9% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $787 in Trieste 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 23% higher in Trieste, 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 $66 in Trieste versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Trieste

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h ahead of Trieste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,609

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

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Between locations

Trieste Cape Town 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Trieste
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

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

Trieste costs about 24% 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 $2,838 per month in Trieste 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 Trieste, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $787 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,892 in Trieste and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Trieste. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,892 in Trieste 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 $1,892 in Trieste. 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, Trieste makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.