Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and the Azores

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in the Azores: $1,568 and $1,594 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in the Azores

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,594 in the Azores, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Azores $1,594

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,371 in the Azores, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Azores $2,371

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,148 in the Azores, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Azores $3,148

Cape Town is about 2% cheaper than the Azores, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Azores sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Azores by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$11.37 €10.15

3.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$47.10 €42.03

-1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$9.20 €8.21

-35.22%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.16 €1.93

14.35%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.92 €1.71

-30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.37 €1.22

-24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.26 €2.02

33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.46 €3.09

5.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.06 €0.94

31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.59 €1.42

-25.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.61 €1.44

31.06%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.12 €2.79

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$11.26 €10.05

-20.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$7.89 €7.04

-15.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$14.31 €12.77

-35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.35 €2.10

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.42 €1.26

33.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.85 €1.65

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.48 €2.21

-15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.53 €1.36

1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.83 €1.64

-18.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.63 €1.45

-20.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.79 €0.71

46.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$6.21 €5.55

-40.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.10 €4.55

18.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.24 €1.11

12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.37 €2.12

-7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$2.28 €2.04

-33.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$41.69 €37.20

46.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$4.09 €3.65

-84.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.82 €0.73

86.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$17.02 €15.19

-71.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.99 €1.77

-20.60%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$34.5K €30.8K

2.76%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$40.1K €35.7K

-20.74%

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

$116 R 1,920

$135 €120

-13.51%

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

$28.37 R 468

$21.16 €18.89

34.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$42.52 €37.94

-4.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$44.82 €40.00

8.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$17.33 €15.46

-35.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.36 €7.46

5.62%

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

$261 R 4,314

$462 €412

-43.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$8,431 €7,524

-20.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$73.2 €65.3

-24.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$38.09 €33.99

-15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$92.0 €82.1

27.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$93.7 €83.6

14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$918 €819

10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$744 €664

-3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,498 €1,337

20.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,143 €1,020

16.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$3,018 €2,693

-22.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$2,307 €2,059

-34.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.01

118.96%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Azores

$744 46% 4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Azores

$247 15.3% 11.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Azores

$198 12.2% 6.9% $13

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Azores

$176 10.9% 1.3% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Azores

$134 8.3% 4.9% $6.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Azores

$59 3.6% 21.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Azores

$62 3.8% 7.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $918 in the Azores. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $47.00 in the Azores. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $247 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Azores

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

236,657

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Azores 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Azores

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 Azores: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Azores is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,391 in the Azores. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 11% more in the Azores, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in the Azores at $1,594. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Azores makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.