Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Caldas da Rainha and in Cape Town: $1,532 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $1,532
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,352 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $2,352
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $3,172
Cape Town $3,307

Caldas da Rainha is about 2% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Caldas da Rainha and Cape Town sit above the global median – Caldas da Rainha by 14%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.73 €14.03

$11.78 R 194

33.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 €45.38

$46.55 R 768

9.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 €9.12

$5.96 R 98.4

71.48%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$2.47 R 40.80

-17.00%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.33 R 21.91

77.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.03 R 16.99

37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 €2.48

$3.01 R 49.72

-7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$3.66 R 60.4

5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.39 R 22.96

-23.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.19 R 19.60

21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.11 R 34.84

-26.07%

Eggs

$3.01 €2.69

$3.01 R 49.58

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 €9.26

$8.96 R 148

15.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$6.65 R 110

9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 €11.44

$9.29 R 153

37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.83 R 30.13

2.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.90 R 31.31

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.75 R 28.83

-4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.09 R 34.41

17.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.55 R 25.64

23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.49 R 24.53

26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.30 R 21.41

-0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.16 R 19.19

-27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$3.71 R 61.2

54.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.95 €3.53

$6.06 R 100

-34.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.39 R 22.85

17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.20 R 36.32

-21.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$1.51 R 24.98

143.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.14 €30.46

$61.0 R 1,006

-44.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.63 R 10.33

349.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.58 R 26.08

20.89%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-4.80%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$31.7K R 523.8K

18.85%

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

$108 €96.0

$116 R 1,920

-7.58%

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

$18.14 €16.19

$28.37 R 468

-36.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 €34.54

$40.69 R 671

-4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.88 €43.62

$48.85 R 806

0.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.78 €24.79

$11.13 R 184

149.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 €7.84

$8.83 R 146

-0.57%

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

$399 €356

$261 R 4,314

52.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,537 €4,941

$6,702 R 110.6K

-17.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.5

$55.4 R 914

72.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.26

$32.27 R 532

32.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$118 R 1,939

-4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 €61.1

$107 R 1,766

-36.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €795

$1,015 R 16.7K

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 €599

$715 R 11.8K

-6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,251

$1,801 R 29.7K

-22.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,001

$1,330 R 22.0K

-15.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,845 €2,539

$2,331 R 38.5K

22.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 €2,038

$1,513 R 25.0K

50.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 €1,022

$1,636 R 27.0K

-30.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.11

10.97

-71.65%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: 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

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 6.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 3.2% $7.4

Eating Out

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 20.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 12.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 2.2% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 45.8% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Caldas da Rainha 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.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Cape Town, 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 $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h ahead of Caldas da Rainha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,917

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caldas da Rainha Cape Town 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Caldas da Rainha
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

Caldas da Rainha vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Caldas da Rainha 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 Caldas da Rainha, 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 $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha and $47.00 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 $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Caldas da Rainha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.