Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Canary Islands and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in the Canary Islands and in Cape Town: $1,650 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,586 in Cape Town.

Canary Islands $1,650
Cape Town $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,373 in the Canary Islands versus $2,425 in Cape Town.

Canary Islands $2,373
Cape Town $2,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,095 in the Canary Islands versus $3,263 in Cape Town.

Canary Islands $3,095
Cape Town $3,263

Living in the Canary Islands is roughly 4% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canary Islands 22% above, Cape Town 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 €18.07

$12.14 R 200

67.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 €54.3

$45.34 R 747

34.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 €8.38

$5.88 R 96.9

60.20%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$2.50 R 41.18

-18.00%

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

$1.86 €1.65

$1.27 R 20.94

46.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.98 R 16.14

12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.99 R 49.33

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.72 R 61.4

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.30 R 21.40

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.25 R 20.68

91.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.23 R 36.76

-29.15%

Eggs

$2.18 €1.94

$3.11 R 51.2

-29.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.31 €17.18

$9.06 R 149

113.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$6.92 R 114

43.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.30 R 153

85.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.84 R 30.25

48.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.96 R 32.29

14.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.67 R 27.45

29.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.17 R 35.70

15.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.57 R 25.81

36.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.48 R 24.45

36.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.30 R 21.41

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.13 R 18.60

-17.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 €4.14

$3.60 R 59.3

29.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 €6.99

$6.15 R 101

27.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.38 R 22.66

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.14 R 35.20

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.50 R 24.65

-42.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$0.59 R 9.71

618.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.50 R 24.65

12.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.75

$5.11 R 84.2

224.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.55 R 25.50

9.68%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-31.17%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-7.30%

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

$126 €112

$114 R 1,883

10.29%

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

$20.91 €18.60

$28.91 R 476

-27.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.49 €31.57

$39.73 R 654

-10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.49 €42.25

$49.01 R 808

-3.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 €21.41

$10.99 R 181

119.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 €8.76

$9.15 R 151

7.65%

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

$400 €355

$259 R 4,264

54.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 €4,533

$6,794 R 111.9K

-24.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 €60.7

$56.2 R 926

21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.65 €34.38

$32.41 R 534

19.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €79.7

$121 R 1,987

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$108 R 1,781

5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$1,021 R 16.8K

8.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 €605

$717 R 11.8K

-5.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$1,327 R 21.9K

-37.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,369 €1,218

$1,639 R 27.0K

-16.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

10.97

-69.64%

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

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canary Islands

$680 41.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 5.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Canary Islands

$316 19.2%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 28.9% $91

Eating Out

Canary Islands

$248 15.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 29.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canary Islands

$182 11.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Canary Islands

$140 8.5%

Cape Town

$143 9% 2.2% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Canary Islands

$67 4.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Canary Islands

$16 * 1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 364% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in the Canary Islands and $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in the Canary Islands vs $45.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $225 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of the Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,050

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canary Islands Cape Town 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Canary Islands
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

Canary Islands vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Cape Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,111 in the Canary Islands versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,650 per month in the Canary Islands versus $1,586 in Cape Town – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cape Town delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,586 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cape Town hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Canary Islands and Cape Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.