Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cascais and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,157 per month in Cascais vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cascais $2,157
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Cascais vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cascais $3,481
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $4,805 per month in Cascais vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cascais $4,805
Cape Town $3,263

Cascais costs about 36% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cascais and Cape Town sit above the global median – Cascais by 60%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 €13.62

$12.14 R 200

26.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.55

$45.34 R 747

-1.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 €8.24

$5.88 R 96.9

57.48%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.30

$2.50 R 41.18

3.60%

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

$2.04 €1.81

$1.27 R 20.94

60.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.98 R 16.14

123.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.93

$2.99 R 49.33

10.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$3.72 R 61.4

52.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 R 21.40

0.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.25 R 20.68

78.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.23 R 36.76

-27.35%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.11 R 51.2

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 €9.51

$9.06 R 149

18.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 €6.10

$6.92 R 114

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 €13.51

$9.30 R 153

63.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.84 R 30.25

49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.96 R 32.29

-25.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.67 R 27.45

46.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.17 R 35.70

-0.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.57 R 25.81

2.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.48 R 24.45

59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.30 R 21.41

25.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.13 R 18.60

-5.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.08

$3.60 R 59.3

58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 €6.74

$6.15 R 101

23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.38 R 22.66

-10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.14 R 35.20

105.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.50 R 24.65

64.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.24 €39.35

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.59 R 9.71

284.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.55 R 25.50

36.13%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-6.74%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

21.68%

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

$133 €119

$114 R 1,883

16.60%

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

$24.80 €22.06

$28.91 R 476

-14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.83

$39.73 R 654

41.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 €59.4

$49.01 R 808

36.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 €10.06

$10.99 R 181

3.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 €6.29

$9.15 R 151

-22.73%

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

$719 €639

$259 R 4,264

177.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.3K

$6,794 R 111.9K

170.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 €70.2

$56.2 R 926

40.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 €34.08

$32.41 R 534

18.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$121 R 1,987

-13.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$108 R 1,781

23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$1,021 R 16.8K

72.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$717 R 11.8K

60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,833 €3,409

$1,824 R 30.1K

110.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 €2,318

$1,327 R 21.9K

96.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,062

$2,391 R 39.4K

185.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,833 €4,299

$1,542 R 25.4K

213.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,639 R 27.0K

38.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

10.97

-66.55%

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

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 37.7% $433

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$270 12.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 16.6% $45

Eating Out

Cascais

$226 10.5%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 22.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 14.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 7.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 10.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$81 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 16.8% $14

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 32.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Cascais versus $1,021 in Cape Town. 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 38% higher in Cascais, 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 $44.00 in Cascais versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Cascais vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cascais Cape Town 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
Cape Town

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

Cascais vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cascais costs about 36% 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 $3,235 per month in Cascais and $2,379 in Cape Town. 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 $2,157 in Cascais and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 37% 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 Cascais at $2,157. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cascais it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,157 in Cascais. 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, Cascais makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.