Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Roquetas de Mar

For one person, living is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar: $1,425 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cape Town, South Africa
Roquetas de Mar, Spain
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Roquetas de Mar
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,425 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Roquetas de Mar $1,425

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,065 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Roquetas de Mar $2,065

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,705 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Roquetas de Mar $2,705

Cape Town costs about 7% more than Roquetas de Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Roquetas de Mar sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Roquetas de Mar by 5%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 199
$16.53 €14.79
-27.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 709
$55.1 €49.27
-22.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 102
$10.53 €9.43
-41.60%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 39.16
$1.98 €1.77
19.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 21.03
$2.67 €2.39
-52.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.50
$1.70 €1.52
-44.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.92
$4.12 €3.68
-28.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 61.0
$4.53 €4.06
-18.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.80
$1.21 €1.08
9.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.93
$1.70 €1.52
-28.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.37
$1.85 €1.66
18.92%
Eggs
$3.10 R 51.3
$3.59 €3.22
-13.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 144
$15.62 €13.97
-44.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 114
$9.37 €8.39
-26.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 153
$13.33 €11.93
-30.53%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.17
$2.63 €2.35
-30.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.22
$1.87 €1.67
4.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.40
$1.50 €1.34
10.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 35.30
$2.30 €2.06
-6.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.09
$1.94 €1.74
-18.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.37
$1.96 €1.76
-25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.25
$1.37 €1.22
-1.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.91
$0.71 €0.64
60.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.1
$6.22 €5.57
-42.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 100
$5.45 €4.88
11.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 23.02
$1.16 €1.04
19.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 36.01
$1.71 €1.53
27.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 23.09
$0.97 €0.87
44.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,004
$33.13 €29.64
83.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.31
$2.86 €2.56
-67.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.88
$1.27 €1.13
-29.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 82.0
$18.15 €16.24
-72.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.45
$1.79 €1.60
-13.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 584.6K
$34.5K €30.9K
2.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 551.6K
$31.6K €28.3K
5.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,935
$133 €119
-11.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 425
$15.84 €14.17
62.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 651
$26.15 €23.40
50.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 853
$36.27 €32.46
42.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 188
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 147
$8.55 €7.65
3.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,085
$384 €344
-19.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 134.6K
$11.1K €9,945
-26.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 948
$72.3 €64.7
-20.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 525
$34.96 €31.28
-9.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,917
$96.2 €86.1
20.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,665
$117 €105
-13.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.3K
$554 €496
88.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.1K
$502 €449
33.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.8K
$793 €709
134.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.3K
$601 €538
133.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.8K
$2,006 €1,795
20.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.9K
$1,604 €1,435
-2.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Roquetas de Mar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.9K
$1,266 €1,133
28.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
3.18
242.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Roquetas de Mar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Roquetas de Mar
$502 25% $168
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Roquetas de Mar
$270 21.1% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Roquetas de Mar
$175 4.1% $7.4
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Roquetas de Mar
$235 34.9% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Roquetas de Mar
$144 4.7% $6.5
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Roquetas de Mar
$46 35.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Roquetas de Mar
$53 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $554 in Roquetas de Mar. 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 29% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $55 in Roquetas de Mar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $270 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar
🕒 Local time
21:53 9:53 PM
20:53 8:53 PM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
106,510
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Roquetas de Mar 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Roquetas de Mar?
Cape Town costs about 7% more than Roquetas de Mar, 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 Roquetas de Mar?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,137 in Roquetas de Mar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Roquetas de Mar?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Roquetas de Mar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $554 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Roquetas de Mar?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,425 in Roquetas de Mar. That makes Roquetas de Mar about 7% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Roquetas de Mar?
Public transport costs about 45% less in Roquetas de Mar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cape Town or Roquetas de Mar?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,425 in Roquetas de Mar to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Roquetas de Mar?
If budget matters most, go with Roquetas de Mar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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