Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,695 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,695

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,695 per month in Zadar vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zadar $1,695
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,579 per month in Zadar vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zadar $2,579
Cape Town $2,417

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

Zadar $3,464
Cape Town $3,306

Zadar costs about 11% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zadar and Cape Town sit above the global median – Zadar by 25%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.60 €13.00

$12.01 R 198

21.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 €69.0

$42.92 R 707

80.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 €6.88

$6.15 R 101

25.69%

Cappuccino

$2.44 €2.17

$2.37 R 39.04

2.95%

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

$2.98 €2.65

$1.27 R 20.96

134.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.94 R 15.46

130.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.96 R 48.77

16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.09

$3.69 R 60.8

24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.32 R 21.73

-10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.21 R 19.87

44.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.20 R 36.26

43.64%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$3.10 R 51.1

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 €9.63

$8.73 R 144

23.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 €8.72

$6.89 R 114

42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 €10.60

$9.26 R 153

28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.83 R 30.08

8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.95 R 32.12

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.66 R 27.32

26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.14 R 35.19

20.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.58 R 26.01

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.47 R 24.29

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.35 R 22.18

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.14 R 18.85

6.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 €4.84

$3.58 R 59.0

51.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €7.01

$6.05 R 99.7

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 R 22.95

-1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.18 R 35.90

-32.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.40 R 23.02

23.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.73 €38.93

$60.8 R 1,001

-28.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.92

$0.93 R 15.26

252.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.90 R 14.83

142.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.10 €19.67

$4.96 R 81.7

345.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.54 R 25.37

22.08%

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

$25.8K €23.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-27.01%

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

$24.6K €21.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-26.18%

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

$179 €160

$117 R 1,929

53.03%

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

$22.26 €19.82

$25.71 R 424

-13.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.80 €36.33

$39.41 R 649

3.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.61 €42.39

$51.6 R 850

-7.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.08 €15.21

$11.35 R 187

50.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.70 €9.53

$8.89 R 146

20.36%

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

$238 €212

$308 R 5,069

-22.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,762 €6,021

$8,141 R 134.2K

-16.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.3

$57.4 R 946

59.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 €31.76

$31.75 R 523

12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.3

$116 R 1,911

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 €68.7

$101 R 1,660

-23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 €786

$1,047 R 17.2K

-15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 €622

$669 R 11.0K

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 €1,348

$1,861 R 30.7K

-18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,035

$1,407 R 23.2K

-17.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,878 €4,343

$2,410 R 39.7K

102.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,166 €3,709

$1,570 R 25.9K

165.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,379 €1,228

$1,630 R 26.9K

-15.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

10.89

-65.84%

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

Last update for Zadar: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$698 41.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 4.1% $29

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 16.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$242 14.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 24.8% $60

Eating Out

Zadar

$216 12.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 19.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$137 8.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$69 4.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 10.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $883 in Zadar 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 18% 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 $77 in Zadar versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h ahead of Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

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 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zadar Cape Town 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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

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

Zadar costs about 11% 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 $2,542 per month in Zadar 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 Zadar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $883 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,695 in Zadar and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Zadar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,695 in Zadar 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 $1,695 in Zadar. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.