Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Barreiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,672 in Barreiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Barreiro
Learn more

Barreiro Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Barreiro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,672 in Barreiro, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Barreiro $1,672

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,346 in Barreiro, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Barreiro $2,346

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,019 in Barreiro, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Barreiro $3,019

Cape Town is about 5% cheaper than Barreiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Barreiro sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Barreiro by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$15.77 €14.03

-23.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$44.47 €39.56

1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.68 €8.61

-39.26%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.46 €2.19

1.63%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.14 €1.91

-40.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$2.18 €1.94

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.32 €2.96

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.27 €2.91

13.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.04 €0.93

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.46 €1.30

-14.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.63 €1.45

36.81%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.30 €2.93

-5.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.12 €8.11

-0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.99 €7.11

-13.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$15.17 €13.49

-38.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.76 €2.46

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.32 €1.17

48.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.04 €1.82

-18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.48 €1.31

46.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.61 €1.43

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.64 €1.46

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.69 €1.50

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.68 €0.60

66.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.78 €5.14

-37.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.19 €5.50

-0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.26 €1.12

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.10 €0.98

94.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.42 €1.27

5.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$44.31 €39.41

37.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.29 €2.03

-74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.76 €0.68

97.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$17.02 €15.14

-69.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.04 €1.82

-24.02%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.2K €30.4K

6.00%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$37.7K €33.5K

-17.11%

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

$114 R 1,883

$110 €97.7

4.12%

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

$28.91 R 476

$21.19 €18.85

36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$35.54 €31.62

11.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$36.97 €32.89

32.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$13.55 €12.05

-18.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.88 €7.90

3.04%

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

$259 R 4,264

$604 €538

-57.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$11.1K €9,914

-39.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.7 €69.1

-27.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$37.19 €33.08

-12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$84.9 €75.5

42.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$105 €93.2

3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$958 €852

6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$794 €706

-9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,473 €1,311

23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,044 €929

27.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$3,877 €3,449

-38.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,745 €2,442

-43.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$910 €810

79.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.67

198.91%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barreiro: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Barreiro

$794 47.5% 10.8% $77

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Barreiro

$239 14.3% 6.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Barreiro

$167 10% 9% $16

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Barreiro

$225 13.5% 27.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Barreiro

$137 8.2% 4% $5.8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Barreiro

$56 3.4% 25% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Barreiro

$55 3.3% 18.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $958 in Barreiro. 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 80% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $44.00 in Barreiro. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $239 in Barreiro – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Barreiro

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

78,359

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Barreiro 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Barreiro

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 Barreiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $1,672 in Barreiro – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,508 in Barreiro. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,672 in Barreiro. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Barreiro at $1,672. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barreiro 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 $1,586 in Cape Town to $1,672 in Barreiro. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barreiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.