Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Elche

Name: Elche
Address: Elche, ES

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Elche: $1,527 and $1,503 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Elche
Learn more

Elche Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,503 in Elche, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Elche $1,503

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,220 in Elche, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Elche $2,220

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,937 in Elche, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Elche $2,937

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

Both Cape Town and Elche sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Elche by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$16.89 €15.04

-28.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$55.1 €49.08

-22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.11 €9.90

-44.64%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.48 €2.21

-4.44%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.39 €2.13

-46.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.85 €1.65

-49.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$3.38 €3.01

-12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$3.45 €3.07

6.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.10 €0.98

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.57 €1.40

-22.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.54 €1.37

42.86%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.10 €2.76

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$14.09 €12.55

-38.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$7.86 €7.01

-12.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$13.73 €12.23

-32.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.49 €2.22

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.98 €1.76

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.96 €1.74

-15.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$2.43 €2.17

-11.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.84 €1.64

-14.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.95 €1.73

-24.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.09 €0.97

23.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.70 €0.63

62.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$6.64 €5.91

-46.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.50 €4.90

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.02 €0.90

36.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$0.99 €0.89

120.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.42 €1.26

-1.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$22.23 €19.80

173.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$2.44 €2.18

-61.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.88 €0.78

2.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$26.85 €23.91

-81.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.75 €1.56

-12.00%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$31.4K €28.0K

12.71%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$31.9K €28.4K

4.70%

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

$117 R 1,918

$139 €124

-15.80%

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

$25.71 R 421

$17.41 €15.51

47.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$26.95 €24.00

46.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$46.48 €41.40

11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$11.33 €10.09

0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.32 €6.52

21.45%

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

$308 R 5,040

$691 €616

-55.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$10.8K €9,598

-24.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$85.9 €76.5

-33.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$35.87 €31.95

-11.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$88.2 €78.6

31.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$87.3 €77.8

15.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$676 €602

54.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$599 €533

11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$965 €859

92.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$870 €775

61.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$2,015 €1,795

19.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$1,536 €1,368

2.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,592 €1,419

2.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.3

230.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elche: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Elche

$599 39.8% 10.5% $70

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Elche

$253 16.8% 13.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Elche

$183 12.2% 0.7% $1.2

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Elche

$239 15.9% 37.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Elche

$134 8.9% 2.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Elche

$35 2.3% 51.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Elche

$61 4.1% 11.9% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $676 in Elche. 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 $55 in Elche. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $253 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Elche

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

238,293

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Elche 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Elche

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 Elche: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,255 in Elche. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elche, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $676 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $691 in Elche. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,503 in Elche. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,503 in Elche to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.