Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in the Azores and in Cape Town: $1,594 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in the Azores vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Azores $1,594
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in the Azores vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Azores $2,371
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,148 per month in the Azores vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Azores $3,148
Cape Town $3,307

Azores costs about 2% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Azores and Cape Town sit above the global median – Azores by 19%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.14

$11.78 R 195

-3.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.10 €41.99

$46.55 R 772

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 €8.20

$5.96 R 98.9

54.36%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$2.47 R 41.01

-12.55%

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

$1.92 €1.71

$1.33 R 22.03

44.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.03 R 17.08

33.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.02

$3.01 R 49.98

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.66 R 60.8

-5.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.39 R 23.08

-23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.19 R 19.70

33.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.11 R 35.02

-23.70%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.78

$3.01 R 49.84

3.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.04

$8.96 R 149

25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.65 R 110

18.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 €12.75

$9.29 R 154

54.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.83 R 30.28

28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.90 R 31.47

-25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.75 R 28.98

5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.09 R 34.59

18.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.55 R 25.78

-1.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.49 R 24.65

22.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.30 R 21.53

25.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$1.16 R 19.29

-31.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.54

$3.71 R 61.5

67.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 €4.55

$6.06 R 101

-15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.39 R 22.97

-10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.20 R 36.51

7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.51 R 25.11

50.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.69 €37.17

$61.0 R 1,011

-31.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.64

$0.63 R 10.38

549.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.53 R 25.42

-46.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.18

$4.81 R 79.8

253.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.58 R 26.22

25.95%

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

$34.5K €30.8K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-2.69%

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

$40.1K €35.7K

$31.7K R 526.6K

26.16%

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

$135 €120

$116 R 1,930

15.62%

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

$21.16 €18.87

$28.37 R 471

-25.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.52 €37.91

$40.69 R 675

4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 €39.96

$48.85 R 810

-8.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 €15.45

$11.13 R 185

55.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.36 €7.45

$8.83 R 146

-5.32%

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

$462 €412

$261 R 4,336

76.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,431 €7,517

$6,702 R 111.2K

25.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 €65.2

$55.4 R 919

32.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 €33.96

$32.27 R 535

18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 €82.0

$118 R 1,949

-21.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 €83.5

$107 R 1,775

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €818

$1,015 R 16.8K

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €663

$715 R 11.9K

3.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 €1,336

$1,801 R 29.9K

-16.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,019

$1,330 R 22.1K

-14.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 €2,691

$2,331 R 38.7K

29.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 €2,057

$1,513 R 25.1K

52.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

10.97

-54.33%

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

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Azores

$744 46%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 3.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Azores

$247 15.3%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 10% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azores

$198 12.2%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 6.5% $13

Eating Out

Azores

$176 10.9%

Cape Town

$174 11% 1.3% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Azores

$134 8.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 5.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Azores

$62 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 8.1% $5

Getting Around

Azores

$59 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 27.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in the Azores versus $1,015 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $247 in the Azores vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Azores

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

2 h ahead of the Azores

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,657

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Azores Cape Town 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Azores
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

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

Yes – Azores is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in the Azores and $2,352 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.

Groceries cost about 11% more in the Azores, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores and $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in the Azores at $1,594. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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