Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,326 in Madrid, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Madrid $2,326

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,414 in Madrid, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Madrid $3,414

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,502 in Madrid, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Madrid $4,502

Cape Town is about 34% cheaper than Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Madrid sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Madrid by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$18.67 €16.63

-35.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$67.5 €60.1

-36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$12.44 €11.08

-50.56%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.20 €2.85

-25.94%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.29 €2.93

-61.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.35 €2.09

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.85 €3.43

-23.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.71 €4.20

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.39 €1.24

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.64 €1.46

-26.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.69 €1.50

30.18%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.04 €3.59

-23.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$16.48 €14.68

-47.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$9.16 €8.16

-24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$17.27 €15.38

-46.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.51 €2.24

-27.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.17 €1.94

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.52 €2.25

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.48 €2.21

-13.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.31 €2.06

-31.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.05 €1.82

-28.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.49 €1.32

-9.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.05 €0.93

8.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.85 €6.10

-47.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.80 €6.95

-22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.21 €1.08

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.24 €2.00

-2.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.72 €1.53

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$37.26 €33.18

63.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.21 €2.86

-71.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.61 €1.43

-44.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$30.80 €27.43

-83.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.82 €1.62

-15.38%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$33.2K €29.5K

6.58%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

3.27%

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

$117 R 1,929

$182 €162

-35.58%

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

$25.71 R 424

$17.24 €15.35

49.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$34.81 €31.00

13.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.26 €42.08

9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$18.30 €16.30

-37.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$11.18 €9.95

-20.48%

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

$308 R 5,069

$696 €620

-55.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$17.9K €16.0K

-54.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$86.0 €76.6

-33.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$43.09 €38.37

-26.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$110 €97.7

5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$112 €99.4

-9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,525 €1,358

-31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,229 €1,094

-45.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$2,815 €2,507

-33.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,013 €1,792

-30.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$9,105 €8,107

-73.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$4,699 €4,184

-66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,487 €2,214

-34.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.15

245.71%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9% 83.7% $560

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Madrid

$304 13.1% 36.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Madrid

$234 10.1% 28.3% $52

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Madrid

$276 11.9% 58.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Madrid

$158 6.8% 14.6% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 22.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Madrid

$70 3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,525 in Madrid. 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 53% higher in Madrid. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $68 in Madrid. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $304 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Madrid 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Madrid

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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid costs about 52% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $3,489 in Madrid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,525 in Madrid.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,326 in Madrid. That makes Cape Town about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Madrid. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,326 in Madrid. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,326 in Madrid. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madrid makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.