Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ventspils and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventspils: $937 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ventspils
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Ventspils Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ventspils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$937

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $937 per month in Ventspils vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ventspils $937
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,459 per month in Ventspils vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ventspils $1,459
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,981 per month in Ventspils vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ventspils $1,981
Cape Town $3,263

Ventspils is about 41% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ventspils sits 31% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.75

$12.14 R 200

8.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.82

$45.34 R 747

21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 €7.54

$5.88 R 96.9

44.05%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$2.50 R 41.18

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

$1.66 €1.47

$1.27 R 20.94

30.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.98 R 16.14

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.99 R 49.33

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$3.72 R 61.4

-35.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.30 R 21.40

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.25 R 20.68

-12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.23 R 36.76

7.17%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.76

$3.11 R 51.2

-0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 €9.35

$9.06 R 149

16.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 €7.58

$6.92 R 114

23.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 €12.31

$9.30 R 153

48.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.84 R 30.25

17.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.96 R 32.29

-8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.67 R 27.45

46.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$2.17 R 35.70

47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.57 R 25.81

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.48 R 24.45

-41.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.30 R 21.41

32.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.13 R 18.60

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.88

$3.60 R 59.3

83.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.86

$6.15 R 101

25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.38 R 22.66

47.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.14 R 35.20

-6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.50 R 24.65

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 €14.90

$60.8 R 1,001

-72.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 €3.00

$0.59 R 9.71

471.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.50 R 24.65

-34.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.70 €15.74

$5.11 R 84.2

246.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.61

$1.55 R 25.50

17.42%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-24.70%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-0.17%

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

$268 €239

$114 R 1,883

134.57%

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

$16.50 €14.68

$28.91 R 476

-42.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.52 €14.69

$39.73 R 654

-58.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.78

$9.15 R 151

20.11%

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

$673 €598

$259 R 4,264

159.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$6,794 R 111.9K

169.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 €61.6

$56.2 R 926

23.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 €45.10

$32.41 R 534

56.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 €60.3

$121 R 1,987

-43.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.1

$108 R 1,781

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

10.97

-61.71%

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

Last update for Ventspils: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ventspils

$301 32.2%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 39.3% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ventspils

$260 27.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 13.5% $35

Eating Out

Ventspils

$195 20.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 9.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ventspils

$130 13.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 10.2% $13

Getting Around

Ventspils

$29 3.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 154% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ventspils

$22 * 2.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 206% $45

Accommodation & Living

Ventspils

- * 0%

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Ventspils versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Ventspils

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

1 h behind Ventspils

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,998

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 = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Ventspils Cape Town 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ventspils
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

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

Cape Town costs about 69% more than Ventspils, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,405 per month in Ventspils and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $937 in Ventspils and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 262% less in Ventspils. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ventspils, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ventspils it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ventspils costs $937 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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