Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ourem

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Ourem: $1,599 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,599
/mo nomad
Ourem
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,568
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,568 in Ourem, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,599
  • Ourem $1,568

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,326 in Ourem, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,460
  • Ourem $2,326

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,084 in Ourem, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,320
  • Ourem $3,084

Cape Town costs about 2% more than Ourem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Ourem sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Ourem by 16%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.07 R 199
$13.00 €11.56
-7.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.65 R 769
$52.3 €46.52
-10.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.20 R 102
$8.89 €7.91
-30.26%
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.13
$1.27 €1.13
96.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R 22.28
$1.62 €1.44
-16.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.47
$1.22 €1.09
-18.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 R 50.4
$2.82 €2.51
8.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 R 60.5
$2.82 €2.51
30.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.45
$1.06 €0.94
22.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 R 20.89
$2.41 €2.14
-47.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.68
$1.36 €1.21
59.56%
Eggs
$3.09 R 50.9
$3.67 €3.26
-15.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.98 R 148
$9.09 €8.09
-1.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.99 R 115
$7.62 €6.77
-8.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.67 R 159
$10.89 €9.69
-11.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 R 30.78
$1.84 €1.64
1.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 R 31.72
$1.23 €1.09
56.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.13
$1.11 €0.98
59.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 R 35.86
$1.69 €1.50
28.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 R 25.07
$1.97 €1.75
-22.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.63
$1.64 €1.46
-4.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 R 21.74
$1.64 €1.46
-19.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 R 18.97
$0.63 €0.56
82.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 R 61.4
$6.29 €5.60
-40.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 R 99.0
$3.45 €3.07
74.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R 22.13
$1.25 €1.12
7.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 R 35.11
$1.39 €1.24
53.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 R 25.53
$2.24 €1.99
-30.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.3 R 1,010
$41.44 €36.86
47.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 R 9.85
$3.98 €3.54
-84.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 R 25.36
$0.75 €0.67
105.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.01 R 82.5
$16.62 €14.78
-69.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 R 26.33
$2.09 €1.86
-23.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 583.4K
$34.1K €30.3K
3.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K R 570.9K
$37.6K €33.4K
-7.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 R 1,955
$110 €98.1
7.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.42 R 485
$21.60 €19.21
36.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.81 R 656
$35.43 €31.52
12.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.8 R 836
$40.72 €36.22
24.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.93 R 180
$16.43 €14.61
-33.48%
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 R 148
$8.74 €7.78
2.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 R 4,303
$613 €545
-57.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,966 R 114.8K
$6,221 €5,534
11.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 R 925
$75.9 €67.5
-26.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.26 R 548
$44.79 €39.84
-25.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 1,999
$83.5 €74.3
45.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,779
$104 €92.6
3.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 R 16.9K
$956 €850
7.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$720 R 11.9K
$747 €664
-3.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,835 R 30.2K
$1,509 €1,342
21.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,360 R 22.4K
$1,188 €1,057
14.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,407 R 39.6K
$2,958 €2,631
-18.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,504 R 24.8K
$2,243 €1,995
-32.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Ourem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,649 R 27.2K
$1,352 €1,203
21.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
3.54
209.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ourem: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$720
Ourem
$747 3.8% $27
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$226
Ourem
$221 2.1% $4.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$188
Ourem
$167 11% $21
Eating Out
Cape Town
$177
Ourem
$177 0.1% $0.2
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Ourem
$139 3.3% $4.7
Getting Around
Cape Town
$76
Ourem
$58 23.3% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Ourem
$58 15.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $956 in Ourem. 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 22% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $52.0 in Ourem. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Cape Town vs $221 in Ourem – so Ourem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇵🇹 Ourem
🕒 Local time
02:07 2:07 AM
01:07 1:07 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
44,538
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Ourem 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Ourem

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 Ourem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Ourem?
Cape Town costs about 2% more than Ourem, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Ourem?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,352 in Ourem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Ourem?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ourem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Ourem?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,568 in Ourem. That's a gap of about 2%.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Ourem?
Public transport costs about 48% less in Ourem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Ourem?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ourem, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Ourem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cape Town or Ourem?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ourem costs $1,568 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Cape Town compared to Ourem?
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.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Ourem?
If budget matters most, go with Ourem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Cape Town vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?