Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,064 in Chaves, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Chaves $1,064

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,607 in Chaves, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Chaves $1,607

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,150 in Chaves, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Chaves $2,150

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Chaves is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$7.99 €7.10

51.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$22.32 €19.86

109.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$7.78 €6.92

-20.31%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.54 €1.37

62.34%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.49 €1.33

-9.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.57 €0.51

75.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.28 €2.03

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.73 €2.43

34.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.02 €0.90

27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.14 €1.01

11.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.13 €1.01

92.04%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$3.05 €2.71

1.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$6.23 €5.54

44.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.53 €5.81

7.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$10.26 €9.12

-5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.14 €1.01

64.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.15 €1.02

67.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.11 €0.98

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.10 €0.97

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$2.02 €1.80

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.13 €1.01

38.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.41 €1.26

-6.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.79 €0.70

45.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.97 €5.31

-37.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$4.03 €3.58

49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.15 €1.02

16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.15 €1.02

85.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.87 €0.77

78.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$27.67 €24.61

121.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$3.97 €3.53

-84.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.68 €0.61

126.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$19.78 €17.60

-74.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.95 €1.73

-17.95%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$34.1K €30.4K

3.77%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$37.6K €33.4K

-7.85%

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

$119 R 1,955

$134 €119

-11.22%

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

$29.42 R 485

$17.81 €15.84

65.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$31.69 €28.19

25.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$25.25 €22.46

101.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$5.49 €4.88

99.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.14 €6.35

25.91%

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

$261 R 4,303

$223 €199

16.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$3,620 €3,220

92.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$71.9 €63.9

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$22.56 €20.07

47.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$63.0 €56.1

92.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$90.2 €80.3

19.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$478 €425

115.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$378 €336

90.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$951 €846

92.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$736 €655

84.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,870 €1,663

28.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$1,472 €1,310

2.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,015 €903

62.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

265.67%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 47.5% $342

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 19.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 2.5% $4.8

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 26.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 22.3% $32

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 49.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 42.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $478 in Chaves. 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 62% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $22.00 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $182 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

37,592

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Chaves 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,596 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,064 in Chaves. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 122% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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