Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,700 in Benidorm, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Benidorm outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,700

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,700 per month in Benidorm vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Benidorm $1,700
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,497 per month in Benidorm vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Benidorm $2,497
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,294 per month in Benidorm vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Benidorm $3,294
Cape Town $3,306

Benidorm costs about 11% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Benidorm and Cape Town sit above the global median – Benidorm by 26%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 €15.61

$12.01 R 198

45.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.3 €47.43

$42.92 R 707

24.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.08 €11.65

$6.15 R 101

112.68%

Cappuccino

$2.41 €2.15

$2.37 R 39.04

1.69%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$1.27 R 20.96

86.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.94 R 15.46

29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.96 R 48.77

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 €3.13

$3.69 R 60.8

-4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.32 R 21.73

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.21 R 19.87

11.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.20 R 36.26

-32.73%

Eggs

$3.47 €3.09

$3.10 R 51.1

11.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 €9.77

$8.73 R 144

25.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €6.99

$6.89 R 114

14.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 €14.01

$9.26 R 153

69.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.83 R 30.08

12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.95 R 32.12

-5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.66 R 27.32

10.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.14 R 35.19

22.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.58 R 26.01

6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.47 R 24.29

21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.35 R 22.18

-19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$1.14 R 18.85

-62.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.45

$3.58 R 59.0

70.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$6.05 R 99.7

-9.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.39 R 22.95

-35.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$2.18 R 35.90

-59.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.93 R 15.26

138.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.90 R 14.83

63.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.43 €24.42

$4.96 R 81.7

453.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.54 R 25.37

12.34%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-3.66%

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

$28.6K €25.5K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-14.19%

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

$153 €136

$117 R 1,929

30.75%

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

$16.48 €14.67

$25.71 R 424

-35.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.67 €20.19

$39.41 R 649

-42.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$10.72 €9.54

$8.89 R 146

20.58%

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

$580 €517

$308 R 5,069

88.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

41.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €81.8

$57.4 R 946

60.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.73 €37.16

$31.75 R 523

31.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 €82.9

$116 R 1,911

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$101 R 1,660

16.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €905

$1,047 R 17.2K

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$835 €743

$669 R 11.0K

24.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 €1,589

$1,861 R 30.7K

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,187

$1,407 R 23.2K

-5.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,080 €4,523

$2,410 R 39.7K

110.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 €2,267

$1,570 R 25.9K

62.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,729 €1,539

$1,630 R 26.9K

6.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.89

-69.70%

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

Last update for Benidorm: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benidorm

$835 49.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 19.8% $166

Eating Out

Benidorm

$247 14.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 29.4% $72

Groceries & Markets

Benidorm

$241 14.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 7.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benidorm

$192 11.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 5.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Benidorm

$155 9.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 11.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Benidorm

$21 * 1.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 224% $48

Getting Around

Benidorm

$9.6 * 0.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 648% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Benidorm 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 6% higher in Benidorm, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Benidorm versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h ahead of Benidorm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,342

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

Benidorm Cape Town 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Benidorm
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

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

Yes – Benidorm is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,550 per month in Benidorm and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,016 in Benidorm and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,700 in Benidorm and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $580 per month in Benidorm and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,700 in Benidorm and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,700 in Benidorm. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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