Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Ejido and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,630 in El Ejido, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,630

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,630 per month in El Ejido vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Ejido $1,630
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,465 per month in El Ejido vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Ejido $2,465
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,300 per month in El Ejido vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Ejido $3,300
Cape Town $3,306

El Ejido costs about 7% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Ejido and Cape Town sit above the global median – El Ejido by 21%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.05

$12.01 R 199

40.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.8

$42.92 R 709

58.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.96

$6.15 R 102

80.98%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.94

$2.37 R 39.16

-8.86%

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

$2.23 €2.00

$1.27 R 21.03

75.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.94 R 15.50

44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$2.96 R 48.92

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.04

$3.69 R 61.0

-8.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.32 R 21.80

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.21 R 19.93

33.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.20 R 36.37

-26.36%

Eggs

$3.29 €2.94

$3.10 R 51.3

6.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.85 €15.08

$8.73 R 144

93.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.24 €8.27

$6.89 R 114

34.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.09 €16.19

$9.26 R 153

95.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.83 R 30.17

40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.95 R 32.22

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.66 R 27.40

16.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.14 R 35.30

25.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.58 R 26.09

25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.47 R 24.37

25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.35 R 22.25

-12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.14 R 18.91

-42.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 €5.74

$3.58 R 59.1

79.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.86

$6.05 R 100

-10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.39 R 23.02

-14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.18 R 36.01

-3.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.40 R 23.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.24 €26.17

$60.8 R 1,004

-51.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 €2.24

$0.93 R 15.31

169.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.90 R 14.88

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.80 €24.88

$4.96 R 82.0

460.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.54 R 25.45

17.53%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-10.87%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-5.67%

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

$140 €125

$117 R 1,935

19.64%

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

$18.81 €16.83

$25.71 R 425

-26.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 €26.33

$39.41 R 651

-25.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 €36.20

$51.6 R 853

-21.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 €15.41

$11.35 R 188

51.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 €7.17

$8.89 R 147

-9.90%

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

$780 €698

$308 R 5,085

153.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,796

$8,141 R 134.6K

34.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.9

$57.4 R 948

49.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.17 €31.47

$31.75 R 525

10.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €86.3

$116 R 1,917

-16.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.6

$101 R 1,665

4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 €804

$1,047 R 17.3K

-14.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 €605

$669 R 11.1K

1.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 €1,183

$1,861 R 30.8K

-28.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €939

$1,407 R 23.3K

-25.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,950 €2,640

$2,410 R 39.8K

22.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 €2,130

$1,570 R 25.9K

51.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

10.89

-72.54%

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

Last update for El Ejido: November 1, 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 Ejido

$676 41.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 1% $7.1

Groceries & Markets

El Ejido

$287 17.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 22.1% $63

Eating Out

El Ejido

$232 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 25.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Ejido

$188 11.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 3.2% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

El Ejido

$145 8.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 5.4% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

El Ejido

$56 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 22.9% $13

Getting Around

El Ejido

$45 2.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 59.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in El Ejido 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 $68 in El Ejido versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h ahead of El Ejido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,975

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Ejido Cape Town 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

El Ejido costs about 7% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,446 per month in El Ejido 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 Ejido, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,630 in El Ejido and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in El Ejido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,630 in El Ejido and $1,527 in Cape Town. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,630 in El Ejido. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.