Cost of Living · ZA vs IT
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇮🇹 Rome: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,489 in Italy — 78.76% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Italy
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 20.9%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 21.04%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 21.05%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +95.11%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +95.11%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +95.11%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Italy | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,014 (937 EUR) | +95.11% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $811 (749 EUR) | +95.11% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $1,853 (1,713 EUR) | +95.11% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $11.72 (11 EUR) | +69.12% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $48.83 (45 EUR) | +69.08% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $7.45 (7 EUR) | +61.26% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +47.27% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +46.25% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.49 (2 EUR) | +46.47% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $7.32 (7 EUR) | +46.4% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $2.93 (3 EUR) | +46.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.51 (3 EUR) | +46.25% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $8.78 (8 EUR) | +46.58% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.46 (1 EUR) | +46% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $3.91 (4 EUR) | +69.26% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $6.84 (6 EUR) | +21.06% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $3.26 (3 EUR) | +68.91% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +46.09% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $44.01 (41 EUR) | +61.21% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $1.86 (2 EUR) | +60.34% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $2.60 (2 EUR) | +68.83% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.17 (1 EUR) | +69.57% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +20.9% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $135 (125 EUR) | +61.19% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $47.39 (44 EUR) | +61.19% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $30.47 (28 EUR) | +61.22% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $32.55 (30 EUR) | +69% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $9.12 (8 EUR) | +69.2% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $19.53 (18 EUR) | +69.09% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $47.05 (43 EUR) | +21.04% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $77.00 (71 EUR) | +21.05% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $163 (150 EUR) | +69.06% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Italy than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,489 in Italy versus $833 in South Africa — 78.76% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Italy?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.91 in Italy (≈ 3.61 EUR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Italy compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,014/month in Italy versus $520/month in South Africa (+95.11%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.