Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Puerto del Rosario

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Puerto del Rosario: $1,586 and $1,590 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Puerto del Rosario
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Puerto del Rosario Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Puerto del Rosario

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Puerto del Rosario

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 Puerto del Rosario actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,590 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Puerto del Rosario $1,590

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,380 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Puerto del Rosario $2,380

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,169 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Puerto del Rosario $3,169

Cape Town and Puerto del Rosario have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cape Town and Puerto del Rosario sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Puerto del Rosario by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$13.74 €12.22

-11.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$67.8 €60.3

-33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$8.99 €8.00

-34.59%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.58 €2.29

-3.10%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.11 €1.88

-39.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.62 €1.44

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.18 €2.82

-5.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.56 €3.17

4.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.14 €1.01

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.43 €1.27

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.58 €1.40

41.14%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.44 €3.06

-9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$12.35 €10.99

-26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.11 €8.11

-24.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$18.19 €16.18

-48.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.64 €2.35

-30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.49 €2.22

-21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.27 €2.02

-26.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.20 €1.95

-1.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.79 €1.59

-12.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$2.31 €2.05

-35.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.70 €1.52

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.54 €0.48

109.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.40 €3.92

-18.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.46 €4.85

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.11 €0.98

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.02 €0.91

109.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.66 €1.48

-9.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$33.03 €29.38

83.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.45 €3.07

-82.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.27 €2.02

-33.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$28.44 €25.29

-82.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.51 €1.34

2.65%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.6K €30.8K

4.50%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$28.8K €25.6K

8.37%

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

$114 R 1,883

$115 €102

-0.65%

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

$28.91 R 476

$11.98 €10.66

141.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.80 €25.62

37.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$45.44 €40.42

7.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$15.58 €13.86

-29.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.23 €8.21

-0.87%

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

$259 R 4,264

$481 €428

-46.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,738 €5,994

0.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$88.2 €78.4

-36.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$37.35 €33.22

-13.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$91.1 €81.0

32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$123 €109

-11.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$892 €793

14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$685 €609

4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,359 €1,209

34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$995 €885

33.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$3,299 €2,935

-27.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,180 €1,940

-29.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.15

248.25%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Puerto del Rosario: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Puerto del Rosario

$685 43.1% 4.5% $32

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Puerto del Rosario

$273 17.2% 21.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Puerto del Rosario

$156 9.8% 14.8% $27

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Puerto del Rosario

$206 12.9% 16.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Puerto del Rosario

$153 9.6% 6.9% $9.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Puerto del Rosario

$54 3.4% 27.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Puerto del Rosario

$64 4% 5.1% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $892 in Puerto del Rosario. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $68.0 in Puerto del Rosario. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $273 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Puerto del Rosario

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

43,390

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Puerto del Rosario 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Puerto del Rosario

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 Puerto del Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,386 in Puerto del Rosario. 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.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Puerto del Rosario, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $481 in Puerto del Rosario. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Puerto del Rosario at $1,590. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto del Rosario it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,590 in Puerto del Rosario. 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, Puerto del Rosario makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.