Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Abrantes

For one person, living is cheaper in Abrantes: $1,464 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Abrantes
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Abrantes Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Abrantes

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Abrantes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Abrantes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,464 in Abrantes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Abrantes $1,464

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,495 in Abrantes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Abrantes $2,495

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,526 in Abrantes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Abrantes $3,526

Cape Town costs about 9% more than Abrantes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Abrantes sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Abrantes by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$17.42 €15.49

-30.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$55.0 €48.92

-15.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$11.08 €9.85

-44.04%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.45 €2.18

2.04%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.54 €1.37

-12.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$1.16 €1.03

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.76 €2.45

10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$3.27 €2.91

12.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.08 €0.96

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.14 €1.01

11.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.02 €0.91

112.75%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.70 €2.40

14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$9.00 €8.00

-0.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$7.60 €6.76

-8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$15.32 €13.63

-36.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.92 €2.60

-35.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.31 €1.17

47.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.95 €1.74

-9.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.25 €2.00

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$2.07 €1.84

-26.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.61 €1.43

-3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.69 €1.50

-21.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.63 €0.56

82.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.11 €5.44

-39.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$3.30 €2.93

82.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.14 €1.01

17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.25 €2.00

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.27 €2.02

-31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$41.59 €37.00

47.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$4.13 €3.67

-85.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.79 €0.71

94.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$16.41 €14.60

-69.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.98 €1.76

-19.19%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$34.0K €30.2K

4.20%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$37.6K €33.4K

-7.84%

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

$119 R 1,955

$111 €98.6

7.08%

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

$29.42 R 485

$21.55 €19.17

36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$34.40 €30.60

15.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$41.55 €36.96

22.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$17.06 €15.17

-35.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$8.87 €7.89

1.35%

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

$261 R 4,303

$606 €539

-56.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$11.0K €9,797

-36.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$113 €101

-50.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$44.10 €39.23

-24.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$82.3 €73.2

47.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$104 €92.6

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$952 €847

7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$561 €499

28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$934 €830

96.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$1,431 €1,273

-4.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$2,995 €2,664

-19.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$2,286 €2,034

-34.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,645 €1,463

0.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.54

209.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Abrantes: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Abrantes

$561 38.4% 22% $158

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Abrantes

$230 15.7% 1.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Abrantes

$167 11.4% 11.2% $21

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Abrantes

$233 15.9% 31.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Abrantes

$155 10.6% 7.9% $11

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Abrantes

$59 4% 22.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Abrantes

$59 4.1% 13.7% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $952 in Abrantes. 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 0% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $55.0 in Abrantes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $230 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Abrantes

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

34,336

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Abrantes 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Abrantes

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,599 in Cape Town, $1,464 in Abrantes – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,196 in Abrantes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abrantes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $55.0 in Abrantes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Abrantes, where all-in costs run around $1,464, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Abrantes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town 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 $1,464 in Abrantes to $1,599 in Cape Town. 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 Abrantes. 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.