Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabbar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,818 in Zabbar, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Zabbar, Malta
Cape Town, South Africa
Zabbar
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,818
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Zabbar vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Zabbar $1,818
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,641 per month in Zabbar vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Zabbar $2,641
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,464 per month in Zabbar vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Zabbar $3,464
  • Cape Town $3,306

Zabbar costs about 19% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zabbar and Cape Town sit above the global median – Zabbar by 34%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.86
$12.01 R 198
38.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.32 €35.01
$42.92 R 707
-8.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.71 €6.87
$6.15 R 101
25.37%
Cappuccino
$2.68 €2.39
$2.37 R 39.04
13.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.27 R 20.96
74.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 €0.61
$0.94 R 15.46
-27.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.96 R 48.77
-22.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 €4.06
$3.69 R 60.8
23.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.01
$1.32 R 21.73
-13.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 €0.47
$1.21 R 19.87
-56.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 €1.01
$2.20 R 36.26
-48.18%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.67
$3.10 R 51.1
32.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.46 €4.86
$8.73 R 144
-37.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 €3.88
$6.89 R 114
-36.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.90 €8.82
$9.26 R 153
6.91%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 €3.62
$1.83 R 30.08
122.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$1.95 R 32.12
40.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.53 €3.14
$1.66 R 27.32
112.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 €2.95
$2.14 R 35.19
54.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.58 R 26.01
45.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 €1.63
$1.47 R 24.29
24.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 €2.05
$1.35 R 22.18
71.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.14 R 18.85
0.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.61 €5.88
$3.58 R 59.0
84.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.09 €7.21
$6.05 R 99.7
33.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.50
$1.39 R 22.95
21.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 €2.14
$2.18 R 35.90
10.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.48 €2.21
$1.40 R 23.02
77.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.79 €14.95
$60.8 R 1,001
-72.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.87 €4.34
$0.93 R 15.26
423.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.30 €2.05
$0.90 R 14.83
155.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.06 €24.09
$4.96 R 81.7
445.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 €1.35
$1.54 R 25.37
-1.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K €33.7K
$35.4K R 582.8K
7.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$33.4K R 549.9K
15.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 €89.7
$117 R 1,929
-14.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.26 €22.49
$25.71 R 424
-1.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.54 €37.87
$39.41 R 649
7.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.8 €55.9
$51.6 R 850
21.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.31 €22.54
$11.35 R 187
123.00%
Cinema Ticket
$9.93 €8.84
$8.89 R 146
11.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$367 €326
$308 R 5,069
19.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,226 €1,982
$8,141 R 134.2K
-72.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.5 €77.9
$57.4 R 946
52.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.88 €36.40
$31.75 R 523
28.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.4 €87.6
$116 R 1,911
-15.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 €70.8
$101 R 1,660
-21.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,134 €1,010
$1,047 R 17.2K
8.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$929 €827
$669 R 11.0K
38.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,805 €1,607
$1,861 R 30.7K
-3.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,475 €1,313
$1,407 R 23.2K
4.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,076 €3,630
$2,410 R 39.7K
69.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,138 €3,684
$1,570 R 25.9K
163.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zabbar
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,140 €1,015
$1,630 R 26.9K
-30.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.9
10.89
-73.37%

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

Last update for Zabbar: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zabbar
$929
Cape Town
$669 28% $260
Groceries & Markets
Zabbar
$236
Cape Town
$223 5.4% $13
Eating Out
Zabbar
$221
Cape Town
$174 21.2% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zabbar
$168
Cape Town
$182 8.1% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Zabbar
$138
Cape Town
$138 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Zabbar
$83
Cape Town
$69 16.1% $13
Getting Around
Zabbar
$43
Cape Town
$72 66.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,134 in Zabbar 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 43% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Zabbar versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Zabbar vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Zabbar
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
05:08 5:08 AM
1 h ahead of Zabbar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,404
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zabbar Cape Town 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zabbar
  • 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
Zabbar vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Zabbar or Cape Town?
Zabbar costs about 19% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Zabbar and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,727 per month in Zabbar and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Zabbar compared to Cape Town?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,134 in Zabbar and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How much does it cost to live in Zabbar compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,818 in Zabbar and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 16% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Zabbar compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 72% less in Zabbar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Zabbar or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,818 in Zabbar and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
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.

Zabbar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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