Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilnius and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,675 in Vilnius, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Vilnius
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Vilnius Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,675

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,675 per month in Vilnius vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vilnius $1,675
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Vilnius vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vilnius $2,529
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,382 per month in Vilnius vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vilnius $3,382
Cape Town $3,307

Vilnius costs about 7% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vilnius and Cape Town sit above the global median – Vilnius by 25%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 €11.92

$11.78 R 194

13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.8

$46.55 R 768

65.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 €8.18

$5.96 R 98.4

53.86%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.32

$2.47 R 40.80

50.61%

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

$2.32 €2.07

$1.33 R 21.91

74.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.03 R 16.99

120.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.08

$3.01 R 49.72

89.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 €4.48

$3.66 R 60.4

37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.39 R 22.96

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.19 R 19.60

34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.11 R 34.84

13.27%

Eggs

$3.34 €2.98

$3.01 R 49.58

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.47

$8.96 R 148

18.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 €7.39

$6.65 R 110

24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 €10.52

$9.29 R 153

26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.83 R 30.13

6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.90 R 31.31

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$2.09 R 34.41

67.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.55 R 25.64

-42.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.49 R 24.53

-43.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.30 R 21.41

21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.16 R 19.19

-29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.67

$3.71 R 61.2

71.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.80

$6.06 R 100

44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.39 R 22.85

28.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.20 R 36.32

-11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.51 R 24.98

-26.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.40 €37.84

$61.0 R 1,006

-30.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 €2.77

$0.63 R 10.33

393.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.53 R 25.29

-18.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 €12.40

$4.81 R 79.4

188.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.58 R 26.08

20.25%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-22.75%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$31.7K R 523.8K

0.34%

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

$224 €200

$116 R 1,920

92.36%

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

$13.87 €12.38

$28.37 R 468

-51.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 €18.01

$40.69 R 671

-50.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.84

$48.85 R 806

-13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.84 €32.88

$11.13 R 184

231.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 €8.97

$8.83 R 146

13.82%

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

$641 €572

$261 R 4,314

145.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$6,702 R 110.6K

72.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €86.1

$55.4 R 914

74.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.92

$32.27 R 532

31.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 €83.8

$118 R 1,939

-20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$107 R 1,766

19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$1,015 R 16.7K

-18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €556

$715 R 11.8K

-12.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 €1,262

$1,801 R 29.7K

-21.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €888

$1,330 R 22.0K

-25.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,100 €5,444

$2,331 R 38.5K

161.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,307 €2,951

$1,513 R 25.0K

118.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,966 €1,754

$1,636 R 27.0K

20.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

10.97

-63.63%

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

Last update for Vilnius: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilnius

$623 37.7%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 14.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilnius

$258 15.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 28.1% $72

Groceries & Markets

Vilnius

$256 15.5%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 13.1% $34

Eating Out

Vilnius

$236 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 26.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Vilnius

$162 9.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 13.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Vilnius

$63 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6.4% $4

Getting Around

Vilnius

$56 3.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 34.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Vilnius versus $1,015 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 20% higher in Vilnius, 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 $77.0 in Vilnius versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Vilnius

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h behind Vilnius

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

581,475 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vilnius Cape Town 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilnius
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

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

Vilnius costs about 7% 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 $2,513 per month in Vilnius and $2,352 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,675 in Vilnius and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Vilnius at $1,675. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vilnius it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,675 in Vilnius. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vilnius makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.