Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Calafate and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $963 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$963

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $963 per month in El Calafate vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Calafate $963
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,575 per month in El Calafate vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Calafate $1,575
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,187 per month in El Calafate vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Calafate $2,187
Cape Town $3,306

El Calafate is about 37% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

El Calafate sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 ARS 16.4K

$12.01 R 198

-11.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.41 ARS 51.6K

$42.92 R 707

-22.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 ARS 13.8K

$6.15 R 101

45.53%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ARS 4,128

$2.37 R 39.04

12.66%

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

$1.66 ARS 2,559

$1.27 R 20.96

30.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ARS 2,326

$0.94 R 15.46

60.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ARS 3,334

$2.96 R 48.77

-27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,671

$3.69 R 60.8

-18.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ARS 2,000

$1.32 R 21.73

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ARS 2,444

$1.21 R 19.87

30.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,127

$2.20 R 36.26

-8.18%

Eggs

$2.26 ARS 3,496

$3.10 R 51.1

-27.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ARS 15.5K

$8.73 R 144

14.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 ARS 9,485

$6.89 R 114

-10.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ARS 14.4K

$9.26 R 153

0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,126

$1.83 R 30.08

10.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ARS 3,276

$1.95 R 32.12

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,957

$1.66 R 27.32

-23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 ARS 3,916

$2.14 R 35.19

18.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ARS 1,768

$1.58 R 26.01

-27.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,848

$1.47 R 24.29

-18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ARS 1,972

$1.35 R 22.18

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ARS 2,195

$1.14 R 18.85

24.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ARS 4,780

$3.58 R 59.0

-13.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 ARS 7,590

$6.05 R 99.7

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,159

$1.39 R 22.95

47.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ARS 4,772

$2.18 R 35.90

41.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 ARS 1,209

$1.40 R 23.02

-44.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ARS 2,250

$0.93 R 15.26

56.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ARS 1,314

$0.90 R 14.83

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 ARS 9,203

$4.96 R 81.7

20.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,701

$1.54 R 25.37

-28.57%

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

$27.6K ARS 42.6M

$35.4K R 582.8K

-22.03%

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

$30.1K ARS 46.5M

$33.4K R 549.9K

-9.83%

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

$67.8 ARS 104.8K

$117 R 1,929

-42.05%

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

$17.22 ARS 26.6K

$25.71 R 424

-33.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.89 ARS 35.4K

$39.41 R 649

-41.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.68 ARS 39.7K

$51.6 R 850

-50.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 ARS 21.4K

$11.35 R 187

22.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ARS 9,747

$8.89 R 146

-29.02%

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

$224 ARS 345.5K

$308 R 5,069

-27.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,674 ARS 4.1M

$8,141 R 134.2K

-67.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 ARS 113.4K

$57.4 R 946

27.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.0 ARS 108.1K

$31.75 R 523

120.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$116 R 1,911

-0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ARS 174.4K

$101 R 1,660

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 ARS 516.4K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-68.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ARS 367.7K

$669 R 11.0K

-64.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 ARS 1.0M

$1,861 R 30.7K

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ARS 833.2K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-61.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,877 ARS 2.9M

$2,410 R 39.7K

-22.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,262 ARS 1.9M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-19.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

10.89

437.19%

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

Last update for El Calafate: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Calafate

$238 24.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 181% $431

Groceries & Markets

El Calafate

$229 23.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 2.7% $6.2

Eating Out

El Calafate

$173 18%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

El Calafate

$167 17.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 17.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Calafate

$108 11.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 68.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

El Calafate

$38 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 81.2% $31

Getting Around

El Calafate

$8.8 * 0.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 712% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $334 in El Calafate versus $1,047 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in El Calafate versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in El Calafate vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

21:44 9:44 PM

5 h ahead of El Calafate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,844

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,726 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

El Calafate Cape Town 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

El Calafate
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

El Calafate vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 59% more than El Calafate, 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 $1,445 per month in El Calafate and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Calafate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $963 in El Calafate and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes El Calafate about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $224 per month in El Calafate and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Calafate, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In El Calafate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Calafate – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.