Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,924 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,924 in Alcala de Henares.

Cape Town $1,527
Alcala de Henares $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,707 in Alcala de Henares.

Cape Town $2,417
Alcala de Henares $2,707

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $3,490 in Alcala de Henares.

Cape Town $3,306
Alcala de Henares $3,490

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 21% less than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Alcala de Henares 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$16.61 €14.86

-27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$68.3 €61.1

-37.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$10.99 €9.84

-44.04%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.68 €2.40

-11.57%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$3.19 €2.85

-60.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.85 €1.66

-49.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.87 €3.47

-23.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$4.87 €4.36

-24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.20 €1.07

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.56 €1.40

-22.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.67 €1.49

31.74%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.02 €2.70

2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$22.80 €20.40

-61.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$9.25 €8.28

-25.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$17.30 €15.48

-46.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.74 €2.45

-33.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.32 €2.08

-15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.18 €1.95

-23.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.48 €2.22

-13.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$2.12 €1.89

-25.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$2.08 €1.86

-29.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.55 €1.38

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.74 €0.67

54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$6.21 €5.56

-42.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.93 €7.09

-23.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.23 €1.10

13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$2.21 €1.98

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.47 €1.31

-4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$46.01 €41.17

32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$3.34 €2.98

-72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.88 €1.68

-52.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$23.16 €20.73

-78.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.77 €1.58

-12.99%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$33.8K €30.2K

4.68%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$30.2K €27.0K

10.49%

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

$117 R 1,935

$178 €159

-34.13%

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

$25.71 R 425

$19.51 €17.46

31.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$30.89 €27.64

27.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$40.93 €36.62

26.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$8.49 €7.59

33.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$9.70 €8.68

-8.35%

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

$308 R 5,085

$177 €159

73.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$5,892 €5,272

38.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$72.4 €64.8

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$36.63 €32.78

-13.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$77.5 €69.3

49.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$95.9 €85.8

5.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$996 €891

5.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$883 €790

-24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,818 €1,627

2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$1,116 €999

26.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$4,260 €3,812

-43.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,494 €3,126

-55.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,743 €1,560

-6.50%

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 Alcala de Henares: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Alcala de Henares

$883 45.9% 32% $214

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.3% 40.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Alcala de Henares

$228 11.9% 25.2% $46

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Alcala de Henares

$247 12.9% 42.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6% 7.7% $11

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4% 10% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Alcala de Henares

$60 3.1% 13% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $996 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $68 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $314 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

199,184

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Alcala de Henares 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,924 in Alcala de Henares, so Cape Town is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $996 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $308 in Cape Town versus $177 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Alcala de Henares. 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, Alcala de Henares on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.