Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Torrevieja

Name: Torrevieja
Address: Torrevieja, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Torrevieja: $1,417 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Torrevieja
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Torrevieja Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Torrevieja

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,417 in Torrevieja, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Torrevieja $1,417

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,048 in Torrevieja, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Torrevieja $2,048

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,679 in Torrevieja, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Torrevieja $2,679

Cape Town costs about 8% more than Torrevieja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$15.20 €13.54

-20.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$44.25 €39.40

-3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$10.15 €9.04

-39.41%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.25 €2.01

5.33%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.13 €1.89

-40.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.84 €1.64

-48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.39 €3.02

-12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.84 €2.53

29.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.16 €1.04

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.35 €1.21

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.44 €1.28

52.78%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.17 €2.82

-2.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.37 €12.79

-39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.60 €6.77

-9.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$21.19 €18.87

-56.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.00 €1.78

-8.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.61 €1.43

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.33 €1.18

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.99 €1.77

7.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.07 €0.95

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.18 €1.05

24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.32 €1.18

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.45 €0.40

153.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$6.03 €5.37

-40.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.51 €4.01

34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.89 €0.79

56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.36 €1.21

60.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.77 €1.57

-20.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$33.49 €29.82

-85.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.74 €1.55

-11.49%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$35.2K €31.3K

0.59%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$29.1K €25.9K

14.70%

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

$117 R 1,929

$113 €101

3.54%

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

$25.71 R 424

$8.88 €7.90

189.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$23.83 €21.22

65.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$37.65 €33.53

37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$4.99 €4.44

127.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.91 €7.94

-0.22%

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

$308 R 5,069

$503 €448

-38.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$17.8K €15.8K

-54.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$38.81 €34.56

47.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$33.50 €29.83

-5.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$67.5 €60.1

71.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$67.4 €60.0

49.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$736 €655

42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$642 €572

4.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,217 €1,084

52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$905 €806

55.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,954 €2,630

-18.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,685 €2,390

-41.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,918 €1,707

-15.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.9

275.52%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Torrevieja: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Torrevieja

$642 45.3% 4% $27

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Torrevieja

$256 18% 14.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Torrevieja

$146 10.3% 20% $36

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Torrevieja

$218 15.4% 25% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Torrevieja

$93 6.6% 32.3% $44

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Torrevieja

$7.1 * 0.5% 90.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Torrevieja

$55 3.9% 20% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $736 in Torrevieja. 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 18% higher in Torrevieja, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $44 in Torrevieja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $256 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇸 Torrevieja

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

89,290

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Torrevieja 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Torrevieja

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 Torrevieja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 8% more than Torrevieja, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,126 in Torrevieja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Torrevieja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $736 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,417 in Torrevieja. That makes Torrevieja about 7% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,417 in Torrevieja. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,417 in Torrevieja to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.