Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Maia $3,254

Cape Town is about 27% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Maia sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Maia by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$11.42 €10.16

5.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$50.0 €44.49

-6.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$8.88 €7.90

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.00 €1.78

25.00%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.93 €1.71

-30.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$1.45 €1.29

-31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.23 €1.98

37.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$4.01 €3.57

-8.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.10 €0.98

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.69 €1.50

-24.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.53 €1.37

41.83%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.89 €2.57

6.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$13.29 €11.82

-32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$7.93 €7.05

-11.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$14.73 €13.10

-34.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.23 €1.98

-16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.74 €1.55

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$2.07 €1.84

-14.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.33 €2.07

-6.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$2.22 €1.97

-31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$2.19 €1.95

-28.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.93 €0.82

41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$1.10 €0.98

4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.62 €5.89

-43.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$4.61 €4.10

30.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.31 €1.17

2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.46 €2.19

-13.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.47 €2.20

-37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$44.74 €39.80

36.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$4.55 €4.04

-86.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.44 €1.28

6.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$16.93 €15.06

-70.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$2.10 €1.87

-23.81%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$32.3K €28.7K

9.78%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$38.5K €34.2K

-9.94%

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

$119 R 1,955

$106 €94.3

11.86%

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

$29.42 R 485

$20.07 €17.85

46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$38.05 €33.84

4.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$44.89 €39.93

13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$34.01 €30.25

-67.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$8.65 €7.70

3.93%

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

$261 R 4,303

$439 €390

-40.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$6,437 €5,726

8.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$111 €98.9

-49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$22.04 €19.60

50.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$75.9 €67.5

59.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$106 €94.0

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$1,072 €953

-4.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$1,313 €1,168

-45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$1,706 €1,518

7.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$1,242 €1,105

9.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$3,036 €2,701

-20.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$1,673 €1,488

-10.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,420 €1,263

16.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.7

196.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 82.5% $594

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Maia

$259 11.9% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Maia

$164 7.5% 12.6% $24

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Maia

$175 8% 1.4% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Maia

$142 6.5% 1.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Maia

$66 3% 12.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Maia

$62 2.9% 9.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $1,072 in Maia. 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 16% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $50.0 in Maia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $259 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

134,988

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cape Town Maia 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 36% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $3,273 in Maia. 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. 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 $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Maia at $2,182. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $2,182 in Maia. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.