Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Tenerife actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $1,920

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,849 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,849

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,777 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,777

Cape Town is about 18% cheaper than Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Santa Cruz de Tenerife sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$20.06 €17.88

-41.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$61.9 €55.2

-24.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$11.40 €10.17

-47.72%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$2.00 €1.78

23.50%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$1.90 €1.69

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$1.30 €1.16

-20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$2.87 €2.56

4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$3.30 €2.94

10.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.37 €1.22

1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$2.47 €2.20

-51.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.59 €1.42

32.70%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$4.19 €3.73

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$19.69 €17.55

-54.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$9.90 €8.83

-32.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$17.92 €15.98

-48.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$2.78 €2.48

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$2.41 €2.15

-21.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$2.24 €2.00

-21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$2.52 €2.24

-17.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$2.13 €1.90

-27.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$1.97 €1.76

-24.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.69 €1.51

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.91 €0.81

27.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$5.71 €5.09

-35.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$7.67 €6.84

-20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$1.68 €1.50

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$1.75 €1.56

25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$1.38 €1.23

9.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$42.25 €37.67

44.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$4.11 €3.66

-84.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$1.73 €1.54

-11.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$16.93 €15.09

-71.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.74 €1.55

-9.20%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$34.8K €31.0K

2.11%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$29.4K €26.2K

7.84%

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

$116 R 1,930

$127 €113

-8.25%

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

$28.37 R 471

$23.02 €20.52

23.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$35.10 €31.29

15.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$54.5 €48.63

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$11.52 €10.27

-3.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$10.09 €9.00

-12.49%

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

$261 R 4,336

$405 €361

-35.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$5,015 €4,472

33.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$94.3 €84.1

-41.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$41.88 €37.34

-22.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$91.9 €81.9

27.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$111 €99.2

-3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$1,138 €1,015

-10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$882 €786

-18.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$1,705 €1,521

5.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$1,255 €1,119

6.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$3,834 €3,418

-39.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$2,170 €1,934

-30.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$1,864 €1,662

-12.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.56

208.15%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$882 45.6% 23.3% $167

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$329 17% 47.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$185 9.6% 0.3% $0.5

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$252 13% 45.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$153 7.9% 8.7% $12

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$61 3.1% 19.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$75 3.9% 12.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $1,138 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 14% higher in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $62.0 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $329 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

209,395

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Santa Cruz de Tenerife 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Santa Cruz de Tenerife

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 Tenerife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 22% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,880 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 44% 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 $1,568, than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at $1,920. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.