Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coimbra and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Coimbra and in Cape Town: $1,540 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Coimbra
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Coimbra Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Coimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,540 per month in Coimbra vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coimbra $1,540
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,306 per month in Coimbra vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coimbra $2,306
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,073 per month in Coimbra vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coimbra $3,073
Cape Town $3,307

Coimbra is about 2% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Coimbra and Cape Town sit above the global median – Coimbra by 15%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 €12.04

$11.78 R 194

14.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.04 €41.98

$46.55 R 768

1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.84

$5.96 R 98.4

66.28%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.47 R 40.80

-21.05%

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

$1.97 €1.76

$1.33 R 21.91

48.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.03 R 16.99

54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.01 R 49.72

-25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.66 R 60.4

-6.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.39 R 22.96

-25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.19 R 19.60

31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.11 R 34.84

-18.96%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.91

$3.01 R 49.58

8.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 €10.62

$8.96 R 148

32.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 €6.77

$6.65 R 110

13.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 €12.71

$9.29 R 153

53.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.83 R 30.13

25.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.90 R 31.31

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.75 R 28.83

13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.09 R 34.41

45.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.55 R 25.64

5.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.49 R 24.53

38.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.30 R 21.41

24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.16 R 19.19

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 €5.63

$3.71 R 61.2

70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.26

$6.06 R 100

-2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.39 R 22.85

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.20 R 36.32

-0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.51 R 24.98

27.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.99 €30.33

$61.0 R 1,006

-44.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.96

$0.63 R 10.33

604.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.53 R 25.29

-8.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 €12.72

$4.81 R 79.4

196.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.58 R 26.08

41.77%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-5.62%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$31.7K R 523.8K

20.18%

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

$137 €122

$116 R 1,920

17.48%

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

$22.05 €19.68

$28.37 R 468

-22.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.09 €28.63

$40.69 R 671

-21.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.96 €39.23

$48.85 R 806

-10.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 €10.70

$11.13 R 184

7.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 €7.67

$8.83 R 146

-2.60%

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

$721 €643

$261 R 4,314

175.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,570

$6,702 R 110.6K

60.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €85.0

$55.4 R 914

71.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.26 €33.25

$32.27 R 532

15.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 €84.0

$118 R 1,939

-19.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$107 R 1,766

8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €779

$1,015 R 16.7K

-13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$715 R 11.8K

-8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 €1,348

$1,801 R 29.7K

-16.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €928

$1,330 R 22.0K

-21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,737 €2,442

$2,331 R 38.5K

17.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 €1,091

$1,513 R 25.0K

-19.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,319 €1,177

$1,636 R 27.0K

-19.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

10.97

-65.09%

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

Last update for Coimbra: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Coimbra

$652 41.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 9.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Coimbra

$253 16.3%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 12.1% $31

Eating Out

Coimbra

$193 12.4%

Cape Town

$174 11% 10.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coimbra

$191 12.3%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 2.8% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Coimbra

$154 9.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 8.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Coimbra

$61 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 8.7% $5.4

Getting Around

Coimbra

$53 3.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 41.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $873 in Coimbra versus $1,015 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 24% 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 $47.00 in Coimbra versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Coimbra vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Coimbra

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h ahead of Coimbra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,838

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Coimbra Cape Town 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Coimbra
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

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

Cape Town costs about 2% more than Coimbra, 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 $2,309 per month in Coimbra and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Coimbra, 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 $1,540 in Coimbra and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Coimbra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Coimbra, where all-in costs run around $1,540, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Coimbra 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. Coimbra costs $1,540 versus $1,568 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 Coimbra. 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.