Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $963 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in El Calafate

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $963 in El Calafate, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
El Calafate $963

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,575 in El Calafate, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
El Calafate $1,575

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,187 in El Calafate, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
El Calafate $2,187

Cape Town costs about 59% more than El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while El Calafate is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$10.60 ARS 16.4K

13.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$33.41 ARS 51.6K

28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$8.95 ARS 13.8K

-31.28%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.67 ARS 4,128

-11.24%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.66 ARS 2,559

-23.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.51 ARS 2,326

-37.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.16 ARS 3,334

37.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.02 ARS 4,671

22.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.29 ARS 2,000

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.58 ARS 2,444

-23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.02 ARS 3,127

8.91%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$2.26 ARS 3,496

37.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.01 ARS 15.5K

-12.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.14 ARS 9,485

12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.31 ARS 14.4K

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.02 ARS 3,126

-9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.12 ARS 3,276

-8.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.27 ARS 1,957

30.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.54 ARS 3,916

-15.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.14 ARS 1,768

38.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.20 ARS 1,848

22.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.28 ARS 1,972

5.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.42 ARS 2,195

-19.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$3.10 ARS 4,780

15.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.91 ARS 7,590

23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$2.05 ARS 3,159

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$3.09 ARS 4,772

-29.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.78 ARS 1,209

79.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.46 ARS 2,250

-36.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.85 ARS 1,314

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$5.96 ARS 9,203

-16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.10 ARS 1,701

40.00%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$27.6K ARS 42.6M

28.26%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$30.1K ARS 46.5M

10.90%

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

$117 R 1,935

$67.8 ARS 104.8K

72.57%

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

$25.71 R 425

$17.22 ARS 26.6K

49.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$22.89 ARS 35.4K

72.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$25.68 ARS 39.7K

100.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$13.86 ARS 21.4K

-18.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$6.31 ARS 9,747

40.89%

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

$308 R 5,085

$224 ARS 345.5K

37.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$2,674 ARS 4.1M

204.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$73.4 ARS 113.4K

-21.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$70.0 ARS 108.1K

-54.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$116 ARS 178.5K

0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$113 ARS 174.4K

-10.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$334 ARS 516.4K

213.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$238 ARS 367.7K

181.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$675 ARS 1.0M

175.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$539 ARS 833.2K

160.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,877 ARS 2.9M

28.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,262 ARS 1.9M

24.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

58.5

-81.38%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

El Calafate

$238 24.7% 64.4% $431

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

El Calafate

$229 23.8% 2.8% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

El Calafate

$108 11.2% 40.8% $74

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

El Calafate

$173 18% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 21.6% $30

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

El Calafate

$8.8 * 0.9% 87.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

El Calafate

$38 4% 44.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $334 in El Calafate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $33 in El Calafate. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $229 in El Calafate – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

19:31 7:31 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

22,844

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,726 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town El Calafate 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 59% more than El Calafate, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,445 in El Calafate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Calafate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $963 in El Calafate. That makes El Calafate about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $224 in El Calafate. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Calafate, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In El Calafate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Calafate – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.