Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,599 and $1,622 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,622

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,411 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,411

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,200 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,200

Cape Town is about 1% cheaper than Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Santa Cruz de La Palma sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Santa Cruz de La Palma by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$16.58 €14.75

-27.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$56.2 €49.96

-16.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$10.99 €9.78

-43.59%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.32 €2.07

7.76%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.59 €2.31

-47.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$1.78 €1.58

-43.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$3.33 €2.96

-8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$3.85 €3.42

-4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.16 €1.03

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.49 €1.33

-14.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.55 €1.37

40.00%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$3.50 €3.12

-11.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$11.61 €10.33

-22.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$7.91 €7.04

-11.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$17.25 €15.34

-43.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.75 €2.44

-32.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.11 €1.88

-8.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$2.25 €2.00

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.41 €2.14

-9.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.89 €1.68

-19.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$2.15 €1.91

-27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.42 €1.26

-7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.70 €0.63

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.75 €5.12

-35.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$6.05 €5.38

-0.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.11 €0.99

20.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.34 €2.08

-8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.66 €1.47

-6.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$33.48 €29.78

83.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$3.99 €3.55

-84.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.25 €1.12

23.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$23.77 €21.15

-78.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.75 €1.56

-8.57%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$36.8K €32.8K

-3.89%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$27.1K €24.1K

27.73%

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

$119 R 1,955

$139 €124

-14.73%

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

$29.42 R 485

$18.28 €16.26

60.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$27.14 €24.14

46.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$47.66 €42.39

6.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$15.19 €13.51

-28.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$8.93 €7.94

0.67%

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

$261 R 4,303

$408 €363

-35.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$8,540 €7,596

-18.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$88.1 €78.4

-36.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$41.25 €36.69

-19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$84.9 €75.5

42.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$110 €97.7

-1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$904 €804

13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$674 €600

6.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$1,343 €1,195

36.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$1,027 €914

32.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$3,343 €2,974

-28.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$2,209 €1,965

-31.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,360 €1,210

21.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.3

232.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$674 41.6% 6.3% $46

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$267 16.4% 17.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$185 11.4% 1.8% $3.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$235 14.5% 32.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$146 9% 1.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 33.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$66 4% 4.7% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 21% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $56.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $267 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

15,441

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Santa Cruz de La Palma 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de La Palma costs about 1% 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,434 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 83% 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 $1,599, than in Santa Cruz de La Palma at $1,622. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de La Palma it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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, Santa Cruz de La Palma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.