Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alges and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Alges vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Alges $2,009
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Alges vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Alges $2,853
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,697 per month in Alges vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Alges $3,697
Cape Town $3,263

Alges costs about 27% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alges and Cape Town sit above the global median – Alges by 49%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$12.14 R 200

26.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 €48.68

$45.34 R 747

20.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 €8.37

$5.88 R 96.9

60.03%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$2.50 R 41.18

5.60%

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

$2.35 €2.09

$1.27 R 20.94

85.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.98 R 16.14

129.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.99 R 49.33

13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.72 R 61.4

48.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.30 R 21.40

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.25 R 20.68

56.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.23 R 36.76

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$3.11 R 51.2

9.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.63

$9.06 R 149

19.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 €6.31

$6.92 R 114

2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 €13.30

$9.30 R 153

60.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.84 R 30.25

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.96 R 32.29

-30.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.67 R 27.45

6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.17 R 35.70

3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.57 R 25.81

-0.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.48 R 24.45

50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.30 R 21.41

18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$1.13 R 18.60

-30.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.05

$3.60 R 59.3

57.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 €4.35

$6.15 R 101

-20.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.38 R 22.66

-15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.14 R 35.20

44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.50 R 24.65

50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.01 €39.15

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.06

$0.59 R 9.71

672.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.50 R 24.65

-34.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.84 €15.87

$5.11 R 84.2

249.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.55 R 25.50

32.26%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-6.67%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$31.2K R 514.8K

21.99%

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

$137 €122

$114 R 1,883

19.50%

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

$24.63 €21.91

$28.91 R 476

-14.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 €50.1

$39.73 R 654

41.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 €39.89

$49.01 R 808

-8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.22

$10.99 R 181

55.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.20 €6.40

$9.15 R 151

-21.31%

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

$597 €531

$259 R 4,264

130.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$6,794 R 111.9K

175.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.3

$56.2 R 926

36.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 €29.69

$32.41 R 534

2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.6

$121 R 1,987

-24.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 €84.3

$108 R 1,781

-12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,021 R 16.8K

21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €938

$717 R 11.8K

47.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 €1,821

$1,824 R 30.1K

12.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,386

$1,327 R 21.9K

17.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,991 €2,660

$2,391 R 39.4K

25.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,542 R 25.4K

46.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 €1,093

$1,639 R 27.0K

-25.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

10.97

-66.55%

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

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alges

$1.1K 52.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 32% $338

Groceries & Markets

Alges

$253 12.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 11% $28

Eating Out

Alges

$229 11.4%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 23.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alges

$218 10.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 15.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Alges

$133 6.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 7.3% $9.8

Getting Around

Alges

$63 3.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 19.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Alges

$59 3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 13.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Alges versus $1,021 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 33% 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 $55.0 in Alges versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alges

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

1 h ahead of Alges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,327

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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alges Cape Town 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alges
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,009 in Alges, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,013 per month in Alges and $2,379 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.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Alges and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Alges, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Alges at $2,009. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,586 in Cape Town to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.