Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Albacete

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Albacete: $1,527 and $1,551 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Albacete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,551 in Albacete.

Cape Town $1,527
Albacete $1,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,229 in Albacete.

Cape Town $2,417
Albacete $2,229

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $2,907 in Albacete.

Cape Town $3,306
Albacete $2,907

Monthly costs are close between Cape Town and Albacete; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Albacete 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.79 €13.17

-18.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$48.48 €43.16

-11.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.24 €8.23

-33.44%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.19 €1.95

8.22%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.36 €2.10

-46.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.73 €1.54

-45.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.82 €2.51

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.63 €4.12

-20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.84 €0.75

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.81 €0.72

49.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.75 €1.55

25.71%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.11 €2.77

-0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$16.36 €14.57

-46.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.48 €4.88

25.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$17.81 €15.86

-48.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.54 €2.27

-27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.10 €1.87

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.43 €2.16

-31.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.57 €2.28

-16.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.34 €2.08

-32.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.10 €1.87

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.54 €1.37

-12.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.54 €0.48

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.78 €6.03

-47.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.26 €4.68

15.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.18 €1.05

17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.19 €1.95

-0.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.32 €1.17

6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$16.48 €14.67

268.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.40 €3.02

-72.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.56 €1.39

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$30.49 €27.15

-83.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.74 €1.55

-11.49%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$33.4K €29.8K

5.80%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$29.6K €26.4K

12.60%

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

$117 R 1,929

$178 €159

-34.28%

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

$25.71 R 424

$17.57 €15.64

46.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$16.60 €14.78

137.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$4.37 €3.89

159.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.84 €7.87

0.57%

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

$308 R 5,069

$681 €607

-54.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$17.7K €15.7K

-53.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$84.5 €75.3

-32.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$42.02 €37.41

-24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$89.1 €79.3

30.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$115 €102

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$937 €835

11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$669 €596

0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,249 €1,112

48.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$947 €843

48.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,390 €2,128

0.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,034 €1,811

-22.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,017 €1,796

-19.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.15

245.71%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Albacete: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Albacete

$669 43.1% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Albacete

$258 16.7% 15.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Albacete

$212 13.7% 16.5% $30

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Albacete

$212 13.7% 21.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Albacete

$149 9.6% 8.1% $11

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Albacete

$33 2.1% 54.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Albacete

$18 * 1.1% 74.5% $52

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 $1,047 in Cape Town and $937 in Albacete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albacete pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $48 in Albacete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $258 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

173,206

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Albacete 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Albacete

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 Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $937 in Albacete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Albacete runs roughly 73% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Albacete. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Town wins on affordability, Albacete on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.