Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Collado Villalba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,747 in Collado Villalba, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cape Town, South Africa
Collado Villalba, Spain
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Collado Villalba
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,747
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Collado Villalba

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,747 in Collado Villalba, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Collado Villalba $1,747

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,563 in Collado Villalba, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Collado Villalba $2,563

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,379 in Collado Villalba, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Collado Villalba $3,379

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Collado Villalba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Collado Villalba sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Collado Villalba by 29%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 199
$14.41 €12.89
-16.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 709
$42.57 €38.10
0.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 102
$8.93 €7.99
-31.13%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 39.16
$1.54 €1.37
53.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 21.03
$2.72 €2.43
-53.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.50
$1.37 €1.23
-31.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.92
$3.39 €3.04
-12.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 61.0
$2.29 €2.05
61.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.80
$1.06 €0.95
24.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.93
$1.06 €0.94
14.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.37
$2.28 €2.04
-3.51%
Eggs
$3.10 R 51.3
$2.92 €2.62
6.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 144
$25.12 €22.48
-65.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 114
$12.42 €11.11
-44.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 153
$25.81 €23.09
-64.12%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.17
$2.73 €2.44
-32.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.22
$2.36 €2.11
-17.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.40
$2.28 €2.04
-27.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 35.30
$4.92 €4.40
-56.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.09
$2.10 €1.88
-24.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.37
$2.09 €1.87
-29.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.25
$1.99 €1.78
-32.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.91
$0.60 €0.54
90.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.1
$6.09 €5.45
-41.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 100
$9.87 €8.84
-38.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 23.02
$1.03 €0.92
34.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 36.01
$2.22 €1.98
-1.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 23.09
$1.60 €1.43
-12.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,004
$31.19 €27.90
94.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.31
$4.56 €4.08
-79.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.88
$2.21 €1.98
-59.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 82.0
$23.26 €20.81
-78.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.45
$1.77 €1.58
-12.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 584.6K
$35.0K €31.4K
0.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 551.6K
$29.1K €26.0K
14.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,935
$196 €175
-40.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 425
$20.38 €18.24
26.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 651
$30.88 €27.63
27.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 853
$47.42 €42.43
8.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 188
$16.20 €14.49
-29.94%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 147
$9.93 €8.89
-10.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,085
$180 €161
71.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 134.6K
$6,068 €5,430
34.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 948
$71.9 €64.3
-20.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 525
$36.78 €32.91
-13.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,917
$76.1 €68.1
52.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,665
$96.2 €86.1
4.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.3K
$909 €814
15.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.1K
$681 €610
-1.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.8K
$1,352 €1,210
37.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.3K
$1,067 €955
31.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.8K
$3,395 €3,038
-29.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.9K
$2,266 €2,027
-30.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Collado Villalba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.9K
$2,517 €2,252
-35.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
3.08
253.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Collado Villalba: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Collado Villalba
$681 1.8% $12
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Collado Villalba
$373 67.3% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Collado Villalba
$247 35.6% $65
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Collado Villalba
$198 14% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Collado Villalba
$126 8.1% $11
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Collado Villalba
$53 25.9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Collado Villalba
$67 3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $909 in Collado Villalba. 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 54% higher in Collado Villalba. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $43 in Collado Villalba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $373 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇪🇸 Collado Villalba
🕒 Local time
14:46 2:46 PM
13:46 1:46 PM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
65,657
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Collado Villalba 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Collado Villalba

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 Collado Villalba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Collado Villalba?
Collado Villalba costs about 14% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Collado Villalba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,621 in Collado Villalba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Collado Villalba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Collado Villalba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $909 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Collado Villalba?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,747 in Collado Villalba. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Cape Town and in Collado Villalba?
Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $180 in Collado Villalba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Collado Villalba?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,747 in Collado Villalba. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cape Town or Collado Villalba?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,747 in Collado Villalba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Collado Villalba?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Collado Villalba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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