Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Venice and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,117 in Venice, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Venice
Learn more

Venice Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Venice

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,117

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,117 per month in Venice vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Venice $2,117
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,280 per month in Venice vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Venice $3,280
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,442 per month in Venice vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Venice $4,442
Cape Town $3,306

Venice costs about 39% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Venice and Cape Town sit above the global median – Venice by 57%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 €20.27

$12.01 R 198

89.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 €88.4

$42.92 R 707

131.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 €10.89

$6.15 R 101

98.86%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$2.37 R 39.04

-8.44%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$1.27 R 20.96

177.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.94 R 15.46

111.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 €5.83

$2.96 R 48.77

121.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 €4.75

$3.69 R 60.8

44.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.32 R 21.73

49.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.21 R 19.87

117.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.20 R 36.26

68.18%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.57

$3.10 R 51.1

65.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.78

$8.73 R 144

64.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.89 €14.15

$6.89 R 114

130.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.96 €25.78

$9.26 R 153

212.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 €3.25

$1.83 R 30.08

99.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.95 R 32.12

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.66 R 27.32

81.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 €4.67

$2.14 R 35.19

145.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.58 R 26.01

26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 R 24.29

43.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.35 R 22.18

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.14 R 18.85

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.07

$3.58 R 59.0

90.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$6.05 R 99.7

10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.39 R 22.95

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.18 R 35.90

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.40 R 23.02

22.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.08 €37.47

$60.8 R 1,001

-30.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 €3.10

$0.93 R 15.26

275.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.90 R 14.83

110.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.68 €33.55

$4.96 R 81.7

659.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.54 R 25.37

38.31%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

0.90%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

14.76%

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

$270 €240

$117 R 1,929

130.63%

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

$10.17 €9.06

$25.71 R 424

-60.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.07 €29.44

$39.41 R 649

-16.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.7 €70.1

$51.6 R 850

52.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.45 €20.88

$11.35 R 187

106.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.91

$8.89 R 146

25.20%

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

$626 €557

$308 R 5,069

103.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.5K

$8,141 R 134.2K

99.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 €80.7

$57.4 R 946

57.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 €34.09

$31.75 R 523

20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$116 R 1,911

5.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 €159

$101 R 1,660

77.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 €1,120

$1,047 R 17.2K

20.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 €640

$669 R 11.0K

7.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,775 €2,471

$1,861 R 30.7K

49.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 €1,074

$1,407 R 23.2K

-14.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,722 €5,985

$2,410 R 39.7K

178.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,833 €2,523

$1,570 R 25.9K

80.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,665

$1,630 R 26.9K

14.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

10.89

-71.07%

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

Last update for Venice: 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

Venice

$719 34%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 6.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Venice

$418 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 46.6% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Venice

$313 14.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 41.8% $131

Eating Out

Venice

$310 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 43.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Venice

$194 9.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 29% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Venice

$101 4.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 31.3% $32

Getting Around

Venice

$62 2.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 16% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Venice 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 15% higher in Venice, 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 $99 in Venice versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $418 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Venice

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h ahead of Venice

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,879

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Venice Cape Town 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Venice
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

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

Venice costs about 39% 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 $3,176 per month in Venice 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 $1,258 in Venice.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,117 in Venice and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Venice. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,117 in Venice 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, Venice makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.