Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Puerto Escondido Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Puerto Escondido

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,640 per month in Cape Town vs $1,235 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,528 per month in Cape Town vs $1,978 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,415 per month in Cape Town vs $2,720 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Cape Town costs about 33% more than Puerto Escondido, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Cape Town sits 19% above the global median, while Puerto Escondido is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 R 195

$10.98 MX$186

11.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.92 R 782

$46.79 MX$791

4.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 R 90.4

$9.22 MX$156

-38.72%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R 42.15

$3.66 MX$61.8

-27.87%

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

$1.31 R 21.03

$1.50 MX$25.41

-12.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R 16.91

$1.11 MX$18.78

-4.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 R 50.7

$3.30 MX$55.9

-3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 R 60.7

$4.38 MX$74.1

-13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R 22.05

$1.95 MX$32.99

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R 19.75

$3.20 MX$54.1

-61.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 R 34.84

$1.76 MX$29.74

23.86%

Eggs

$3.04 R 48.64

$2.93 MX$49.48

3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 R 147

$8.92 MX$151

2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 110

$11.80 MX$199

-41.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 R 149

$12.31 MX$208

-24.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 30.26

$2.98 MX$50.4

-36.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 R 32.52

$1.73 MX$29.31

17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 26.66

$2.11 MX$35.59

-20.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 R 35.48

$1.95 MX$32.89

13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 24.44

$1.78 MX$30.02

-14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 R 25.85

$2.17 MX$36.73

-25.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 R 21.33

$1.63 MX$27.62

-18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 18.83

$1.22 MX$20.57

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 R 57.4

$4.67 MX$79.0

-23.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 R 99.9

$11.40 MX$193

-45.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 22.47

$2.60 MX$43.98

-45.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R 37.02

$3.35 MX$56.6

-30.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 R 23.20

$0.89 MX$15.08

62.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 R 984

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 R 10.32

$2.53 MX$42.84

-74.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 R 25.87

$1.86 MX$31.49

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 R 81.0

$12.38 MX$209

-59.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.11

$1.44 MX$24.31

9.03%

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

$37.1K R 593.1K

$19.4K MX$328.2K

91.00%

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

$33.2K R 530.7K

$27.2K MX$460.5K

21.82%

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

$121 R 1,930

$53.9 MX$910

124.10%

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

$30.79 R 492

$23.81 MX$403

29.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.59 R 633

$40.05 MX$677

-1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 R 811

$29.09 MX$492

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 R 189

$21.99 MX$372

-46.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.35 R 150

$5.80 MX$98.0

61.21%

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

$265 R 4,243

$246 MX$4,150

8.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,560 R 104.9K

$5,011 MX$84.7K

30.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R 921

$63.7 MX$1,077

-9.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 R 530

$48.01 MX$811

-31.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,932

$112 MX$1,897

7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 R 1,756

$79.3 MX$1,340

38.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 R 16.6K

$660 MX$11.2K

56.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 11.6K

$419 MX$7,079

73.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 R 30.3K

$998 MX$16.9K

89.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 R 21.7K

$817 MX$13.8K

66.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,488 R 39.8K

$1,820 MX$30.8K

36.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,614 R 25.8K

$1,248 MX$21.1K

29.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,642 R 26.3K

$356 MX$6,021

361.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.02

11.3

-2.48%

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

Last update for Cape Town: August 30, 2026

Last update for Puerto Escondido: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cape Town versus $660 in Puerto Escondido. 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 361% 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 $49.00 in Cape Town versus $47.00 in Puerto Escondido. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Cape Town vs $310 in Puerto Escondido – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 33% more than Puerto Escondido, with the gap driven mainly by Groceries & Markets. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,460 per month in Cape Town and $1,853 in Puerto Escondido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Escondido, 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 $1,640 in Cape Town and $1,235 in Puerto Escondido. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Cape Town and $246 in Puerto Escondido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Escondido, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Cape Town at $1,640. In Puerto Escondido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Escondido costs $1,235 versus $1,640 in Cape Town. 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 Puerto Escondido. 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.