Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaves 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 Chaves and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Cape Town $3,320

Chaves is about 33% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chaves sits 21% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$12.07 R 199

-33.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$46.65 R 769

-52.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$6.20 R 102

25.48%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$2.50 R 41.13

-38.40%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.35 R 22.28

10.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.00 R 16.47

-43.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.06 R 50.4

-25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.67 R 60.5

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.30 R 21.45

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.27 R 20.89

-10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.17 R 35.68

-47.93%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$3.09 R 50.9

-1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$8.98 R 148

-30.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$6.99 R 115

-6.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$9.67 R 159

6.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.87 R 30.78

-39.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.93 R 31.72

-40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.77 R 29.13

-37.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.18 R 35.86

-49.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.52 R 25.07

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.56 R 25.63

-27.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.32 R 21.74

6.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.15 R 18.97

-31.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$3.72 R 61.4

60.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$6.01 R 99.0

-32.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.34 R 22.13

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.13 R 35.11

-46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.55 R 25.53

-43.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$61.3 R 1,010

-54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$0.60 R 9.85

561.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.54 R 25.36

-55.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$5.01 R 82.5

294.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.60 R 26.33

21.87%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$35.4K R 583.4K

-3.64%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$34.7K R 570.9K

8.51%

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

$134 €119

$119 R 1,955

12.64%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$29.42 R 485

-39.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$39.81 R 656

-20.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$50.8 R 836

-50.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$10.93 R 180

-49.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$8.99 R 148

-20.58%

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

$223 €199

$261 R 4,303

-14.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$6,966 R 114.8K

-48.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$56.1 R 925

28.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$33.26 R 548

-32.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$121 R 1,999

-48.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$108 R 1,779

-16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$1,028 R 16.9K

-53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$720 R 11.9K

-47.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$1,835 R 30.2K

-48.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,360 R 22.4K

-45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$2,407 R 39.6K

-22.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,504 R 24.8K

-2.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$1,649 R 27.2K

-38.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-72.65%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Cape Town

$720 45% 90.5% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 2.6% $4.8

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 24% $44

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 35.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Cape Town

$143 9% 28.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 73.9% $29

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 96.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves versus $1,028 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 62% higher in Cape Town, 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 $22.00 in Chaves versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $226 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Chaves Cape Town 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

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

Cape Town costs about 50% more than Chaves, 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 $1,596 per month in Chaves and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, 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 $1,064 in Chaves and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 122% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. 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 Chaves. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.