Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,750 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Zagreb vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zagreb $1,750
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,599 per month in Zagreb vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zagreb $2,599
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,449 per month in Zagreb vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zagreb $3,449
Cape Town $3,306

Zagreb costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zagreb and Cape Town sit above the global median – Zagreb by 29%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 €10.83

$12.01 R 198

1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 €55.1

$42.92 R 707

44.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.21 €7.31

$6.15 R 101

33.50%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$2.37 R 39.04

11.39%

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

$3.15 €2.81

$1.27 R 20.96

148.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.30

$0.94 R 15.46

175.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.96 R 48.77

11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.11

$3.69 R 60.8

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.32 R 21.73

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.21 R 19.87

30.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.20 R 36.26

26.36%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.56

$3.10 R 51.1

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.51 €12.92

$8.73 R 144

66.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.23

$6.89 R 114

66.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 €15.74

$9.26 R 153

90.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.83 R 30.08

26.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.95 R 32.12

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.66 R 27.32

25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.14 R 35.19

14.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.58 R 26.01

-10.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.47 R 24.29

-18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.35 R 22.18

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.14 R 18.85

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.60

$3.58 R 59.0

75.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 €9.90

$6.05 R 99.7

83.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.39 R 22.95

22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.18 R 35.90

11.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.40 R 23.02

-58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 €47.61

$60.8 R 1,001

-11.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.93 R 15.26

139.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.90 R 14.83

52.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.51 €11.14

$4.96 R 81.7

152.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.54 R 25.37

20.78%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-22.70%

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

$25.6K €22.8K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-23.20%

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

$216 €192

$117 R 1,929

84.56%

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

$22.40 €19.95

$25.71 R 424

-12.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 €33.53

$39.41 R 649

-4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.87 €41.73

$51.6 R 850

-9.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.88 €16.81

$11.35 R 187

66.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.50 €9.35

$8.89 R 146

18.11%

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

$494 €440

$308 R 5,069

60.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K €11.9K

$8,141 R 134.2K

64.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.5

$57.4 R 946

90.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.83 €38.14

$31.75 R 523

34.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$116 R 1,911

-11.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.6

$101 R 1,660

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €794

$1,047 R 17.2K

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 €587

$669 R 11.0K

-1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 €1,289

$1,861 R 30.7K

-22.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €941

$1,407 R 23.2K

-24.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,331 €4,747

$2,410 R 39.7K

121.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,619 €3,222

$1,570 R 25.9K

130.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,964 €1,749

$1,630 R 26.9K

20.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.32

10.89

-69.51%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$659 37.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 1.5% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$315 18%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 29% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 34% $94

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 13.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$165 9.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 16.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$68 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 10.6% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Zagreb 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 21% higher in Zagreb. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Zagreb versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

1 h ahead of Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

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

Zagreb Cape Town 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

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

Zagreb costs about 15% 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 $2,624 per month in Zagreb 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 Zagreb, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $892 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,750 in Zagreb and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Zagreb. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,750 in Zagreb 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 $1,750 in Zagreb. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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