Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and the Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in the Canary Islands: $1,586 and $1,650 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
Learn more

Canary Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in the Canary Islands

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Cape Town $1,586
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Cape Town $2,425
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Cape Town $3,263
Canary Islands $3,095

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 4% less than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$20.32 €18.07

-40.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$61.1 €54.3

-25.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.42 €8.38

-37.58%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.05 €1.83

21.95%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.86 €1.65

-31.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.10 €0.98

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.85 €2.53

4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.42 €3.04

8.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.36 €1.21

-4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$2.39 €2.13

-47.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.58 €1.40

41.14%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.18 €1.94

42.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$19.31 €17.18

-53.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.93 €8.83

-30.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$17.23 €15.33

-46.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.73 €2.43

-32.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.25 €2.00

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.16 €1.92

-22.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.51 €2.23

-13.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$2.14 €1.91

-26.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$2.02 €1.80

-26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.70 €1.51

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.93 €0.83

21.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.66 €4.14

-22.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.86 €6.99

-21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.70 €1.51

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.75 €1.55

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.86 €0.76

74.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.24 €3.78

-86.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.69 €1.50

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$16.59 €14.75

-69.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.70 €1.51

-8.82%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$24.9K €22.2K

45.30%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$29.0K €25.8K

7.87%

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

$114 R 1,883

$126 €112

-9.33%

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

$28.91 R 476

$20.91 €18.60

38.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$35.49 €31.57

11.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$47.49 €42.25

3.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$24.07 €21.41

-54.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.85 €8.76

-7.11%

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

$259 R 4,264

$400 €355

-35.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,096 €4,533

33.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$68.3 €60.7

-17.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$38.65 €34.38

-16.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$89.6 €79.7

34.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$114 €101

-5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,111 €988

-8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$680 €605

5.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$825 €734

60.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,369 €1,218

19.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.33

229.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 5.1% $37

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 40.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 0.3% $0.5

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 41% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 2.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 78.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 0.2% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 20% 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 $61.0 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $316 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

12,050

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Canary Islands 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% 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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cape Town delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,586 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cape Town hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Canary Islands 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 4% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.