Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Calella

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Calella: $1,599 and $1,596 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cape Town, South Africa
Calella, Spain
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,599
/mo nomad
Calella
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,596
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,596 in Calella, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,599
  • Calella $1,596

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,366 in Calella, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,460
  • Calella $2,366

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,137 in Calella, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,320
  • Calella $3,137

Cape Town and Calella have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cape Town and Calella sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Calella by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.07 R 201
$14.73 €13.13
-18.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.65 R 776
$56.4 €50.3
-17.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.20 R 103
$8.03 €7.15
-22.79%
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.50
$2.49 €2.22
0.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R 22.48
$2.33 €2.08
-42.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.62
$1.79 €1.59
-44.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 R 50.8
$3.46 €3.08
-11.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 R 61.1
$3.31 €2.95
10.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.65
$1.11 €0.99
17.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 R 21.08
$2.09 €1.86
-39.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 R 36.00
$2.88 €2.57
-24.65%
Eggs
$3.09 R 51.4
$3.03 €2.70
1.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.98 R 149
$14.61 €13.03
-38.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.99 R 116
$8.31 €7.41
-15.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.67 R 161
$15.33 €13.66
-36.92%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 R 31.06
$2.48 €2.21
-24.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 R 32.00
$1.97 €1.76
-2.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.40
$1.58 €1.41
12.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 R 36.18
$2.42 €2.15
-9.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 R 25.30
$1.79 €1.60
-15.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.86
$1.86 €1.65
-16.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 R 21.93
$1.38 €1.23
-4.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 R 19.15
$0.62 €0.55
85.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 R 61.9
$6.96 €6.21
-46.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 R 99.9
$5.56 €4.96
8.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R 22.33
$1.07 €0.95
25.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 R 35.43
$2.43 €2.17
-12.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 R 25.76
$1.46 €1.30
6.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.3 R 1,019
$31.71 €28.26
93.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 R 9.94
$3.77 €3.36
-84.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 R 25.59
$1.24 €1.11
24.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.01 R 83.3
$14.51 €12.93
-65.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 R 26.57
$1.83 €1.63
-12.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 588.7K
$39.4K €35.1K
-10.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K R 576.1K
$31.0K €27.6K
11.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 R 1,972
$117 €104
1.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.42 R 489
$13.52 €12.05
117.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.81 R 662
$25.05 €22.32
58.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.8 R 844
$46.23 €41.20
9.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.93 R 182
$17.63 €15.71
-38.00%
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 R 149
$8.35 €7.44
7.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 R 4,342
$560 €499
-53.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,966 R 115.8K
$9,945 €8,864
-29.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 R 933
$62.6 €55.8
-10.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.26 R 553
$21.12 €18.82
57.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 2,017
$114 €101
6.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,796
$160 €143
-32.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 R 17.1K
$904 €805
13.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$720 R 12.0K
$684 €610
5.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,835 R 30.5K
$1,356 €1,208
35.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,360 R 22.6K
$1,011 €901
34.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,407 R 40.0K
$3,081 €2,746
-21.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,504 R 25.0K
$1,932 €1,722
-22.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Calella
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,649 R 27.4K
$1,725 €1,537
-4.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
3.3
232.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Calella: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$720
Calella
$684 4.9% $36
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$226
Calella
$273 20.6% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$188
Calella
$155 17.2% $32
Eating Out
Cape Town
$177
Calella
$212 19.8% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Calella
$161 12.2% $17
Getting Around
Cape Town
$76
Calella
$48 37.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Calella
$63 8.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $904 in Calella. 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 5% higher in Calella. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Cape Town versus $56 in Calella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $273 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇪🇸 Calella
🕒 Local time
12:24 12:24 PM
11:24 11:24 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
19,862
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Calella 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Calella

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 Calella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,394 in Calella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calella, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $904 there versus $1,028 in Cape Town.
Is eating out cheaper in Cape Town or in Calella?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Cape Town and $56 in Calella. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 48% less in Calella. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough to cover costs in Cape Town or in Calella?
$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,596 in Calella. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Cape Town or in Calella?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,596 in Calella to $1,599 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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