Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rio de Mouro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,694 in Rio de Mouro, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Mouro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Mouro
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Rio de Mouro Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Rio de Mouro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Rio de Mouro

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 Rio de Mouro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,694 in Rio de Mouro, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Rio de Mouro $1,694

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,663 in Rio de Mouro, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Rio de Mouro $2,663

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,631 in Rio de Mouro, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Rio de Mouro $3,631

Cape Town is about 6% cheaper than Rio de Mouro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Rio de Mouro sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Rio de Mouro by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$17.26 €15.36

-29.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$56.7 €50.5

-20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.25 €8.23

-36.43%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.58 €2.30

-3.10%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.54 €1.37

-17.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.21 €1.07

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.39 €3.01

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.98 €3.54

-6.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.08 €0.96

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.25 €1.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.54 €1.37

44.81%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.52 €3.14

-11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.02 €8.02

0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.68 €6.83

-9.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.92 €13.27

-37.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.00 €2.66

-38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.38 €1.23

42.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.66 €1.48

0.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.58 €2.30

-15.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.97 €1.75

-20.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.63 €1.45

-9.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.15 €1.03

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.81 €0.72

39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.19 €5.51

-41.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.34 €3.86

41.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.94 €0.84

46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.52 €2.24

-15.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.17 €1.93

-30.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$44.76 €39.81

35.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.73 €3.31

-84.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.81 €0.72

85.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$16.59 €14.76

-69.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.16 €1.93

-28.24%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$33.0K €29.4K

9.71%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$37.4K €33.2K

-16.40%

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

$114 R 1,883

$107 €95.1

6.95%

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

$28.91 R 476

$20.98 €18.66

37.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$39.68 €35.30

0.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$38.76 €34.48

26.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.74 €6.88

18.22%

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

$259 R 4,264

$596 €530

-56.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$11.2K €9,973

-39.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$66.7 €59.3

-15.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$44.91 €39.95

-27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$71.2 €63.3

69.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$54.9 €48.80

96.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,137 €1,011

-10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$832 €740

-13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,519 €1,351

20.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,637 €1,456

-18.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$849 €755

93.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.85

184.94%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rio de Mouro: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Rio de Mouro

$832 49.2% 16.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Rio de Mouro

$239 14.1% 6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Rio de Mouro

$168 9.9% 8.4% $15

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Rio de Mouro

$233 13.7% 32.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Rio de Mouro

$107 6.3% 25.1% $36

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Rio de Mouro

$61 3.6% 18.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Rio de Mouro

$54 3.2% 19.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,137 in Rio de Mouro. 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 93% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $57.0 in Rio de Mouro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $239 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇹 Rio de Mouro

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

16:23 4:23 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

49,493

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Rio de Mouro 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rio de Mouro

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 Rio de Mouro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Mouro costs about 7% 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,540 in Rio de Mouro. 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,694 in Rio de Mouro. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 36% 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 $1,586, than in Rio de Mouro at $1,694. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Mouro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,694 in Rio de Mouro. 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, Rio de Mouro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.