Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Amadora

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,693 in Amadora, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amadora outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Amadora
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Amadora Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Amadora

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,693 in Amadora.

Cape Town $1,586
Amadora $1,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $2,478 in Amadora.

Cape Town $2,425
Amadora $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $3,262 in Amadora.

Cape Town $3,263
Amadora $3,262

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 6% less than in Amadora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Amadora 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$12.65 €11.25

-4.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$45.36 €40.35

-0.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$8.95 €7.96

-34.30%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.00 €1.78

25.00%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.84 €1.64

-30.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.34 €1.19

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.80 €2.49

6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.80 €2.49

32.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.10 €0.98

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$2.31 €2.06

-45.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.32 €1.18

68.94%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.89 €2.57

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.36 €10.10

-20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.85 €6.09

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.18 €9.94

-16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.89 €1.68

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.47 €1.31

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.50 €1.34

11.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.58 €2.30

-15.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.61 €1.43

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$2.15 €1.91

-31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.57 €1.40

-17.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.07 €0.96

5.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.40 €5.69

-43.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.62 €5.00

9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.27 €1.13

8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.13 €1.01

89.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.74 €2.44

-45.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$44.64 €39.71

36.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.87 €3.44

-84.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.51 €0.45

194.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$16.70 €14.86

-69.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.11 €1.88

-26.54%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$33.4K €29.7K

8.53%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$37.7K €33.5K

-17.08%

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

$114 R 1,883

$136 €121

-15.71%

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

$28.91 R 476

$20.43 €18.17

41.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$44.87 €39.91

-11.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$38.97 €34.66

25.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$28.18 €25.07

-61.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.04 €7.15

13.81%

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

$259 R 4,264

$337 €300

-23.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$12.4K €11.1K

-45.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$74.8 €66.6

-24.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$32.81 €29.18

-1.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$104 €92.4

16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.8 €68.4

40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$967 €860

5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$822 €732

-12.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,625 €1,445

12.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,327 €1,181

-0.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$3,672 €3,266

-34.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$3,291 €2,927

-53.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,163 €1,034

40.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.88

182.73%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Amadora: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Amadora

$822 48.6% 14.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Amadora

$238 14.1% 5.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Amadora

$201 11.9% 9.8% $18

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Amadora

$184 10.9% 4.7% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Amadora

$130 7.7% 9.1% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Amadora

$62 3.7% 17.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Amadora

$55 3.3% 18.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $967 in Amadora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $45.00 in Amadora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $238 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Amadora

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

171,500

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Amadora 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Amadora

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 Amadora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Cape Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $967 in Amadora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Amadora. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $45.00 in Amadora. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,693 in Amadora, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Amadora. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cape Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Amadora, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Amadora 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 7% less than in Amadora. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.