Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almada and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,834 in Almada, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Almada
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Almada Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Almada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,834

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Almada vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almada $1,834
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Almada vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almada $2,675
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,517 per month in Almada vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Almada $3,517
Cape Town $3,263

Almada costs about 16% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Almada and Cape Town sit above the global median – Almada by 36%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$12.14 R 200

37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.3

$45.34 R 747

24.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$5.88 R 96.9

92.52%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.20

$2.50 R 41.18

-1.20%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$1.27 R 20.94

21.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.98 R 16.14

20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.99 R 49.33

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$3.72 R 61.4

-11.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.30 R 21.40

-20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.25 R 20.68

-2.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.23 R 36.76

-32.29%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$3.11 R 51.2

22.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 €10.75

$9.06 R 149

33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 €6.86

$6.92 R 114

11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$9.30 R 153

64.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.84 R 30.25

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.96 R 32.29

-33.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.67 R 27.45

10.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.17 R 35.70

16.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.57 R 25.81

18.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.48 R 24.45

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.30 R 21.41

28.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.13 R 18.60

-32.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.57

$3.60 R 59.3

74.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.85

$6.15 R 101

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.38 R 22.66

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.14 R 35.20

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.50 R 24.65

41.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.21 €39.32

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$0.59 R 9.71

572.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.50 R 24.65

-45.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.67

$5.11 R 84.2

222.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.55 R 25.50

34.19%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-8.03%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

22.18%

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

$110 €97.9

$114 R 1,883

-3.77%

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

$19.05 €16.94

$28.91 R 476

-34.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.08 €28.53

$39.73 R 654

-19.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 €32.50

$49.01 R 808

-25.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 €13.23

$10.99 R 181

35.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 €7.74

$9.15 R 151

-4.81%

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

$603 €536

$259 R 4,264

132.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$6,794 R 111.9K

66.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.5

$56.2 R 926

85.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.91 €39.94

$32.41 R 534

38.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.2

$121 R 1,987

-29.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.2

$108 R 1,781

-3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,017

$1,021 R 16.8K

12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 €822

$717 R 11.8K

28.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 €1,539

$1,824 R 30.1K

-5.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,246

$1,327 R 21.9K

5.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,160 €4,590

$2,391 R 39.4K

115.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,232 €2,875

$1,542 R 25.4K

109.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,313 €1,168

$1,639 R 27.0K

-19.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

10.97

-67.73%

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

Last update for Almada: 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

Almada

$924 50.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 22.4% $207

Groceries & Markets

Almada

$250 13.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 10.1% $25

Eating Out

Almada

$231 12.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 23.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almada

$161 8.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 13.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Almada

$152 8.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 6.2% $9.4

Getting Around

Almada

$61 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 23.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Almada

$54 2.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 24.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,144 in Almada 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 25% 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 $56.0 in Almada versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Almada

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h ahead of Almada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,268

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

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

From you

Almada
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,834 in Almada, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Almada 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Almada and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,834 in Almada and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Almada at $1,834. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almada it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,586 in Cape Town to $1,834 in Almada. 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, Almada makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.