Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in El Paso and in Cape Town: $1,635 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,635

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in El Paso vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Paso $1,635
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,406 per month in El Paso vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Paso $2,406
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,176 per month in El Paso vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

El Paso $3,176
Cape Town $3,263

El Paso costs about 3% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Paso and Cape Town sit above the global median – El Paso by 21%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 €14.92

$12.14 R 200

38.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.50

$45.34 R 747

22.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.93

$5.88 R 96.9

89.80%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.11

$2.50 R 41.18

-5.20%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$1.27 R 20.94

103.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.98 R 16.14

83.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.99 R 49.33

15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 €3.24

$3.72 R 61.4

-2.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.30 R 21.40

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 R 20.68

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.23 R 36.76

-30.94%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.85

$3.11 R 51.2

3.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.12

$9.06 R 149

50.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.22 €7.32

$6.92 R 114

18.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.16

$9.30 R 153

71.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.84 R 30.25

35.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.96 R 32.29

5.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.67 R 27.45

13.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$2.17 R 35.70

20.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.57 R 25.81

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.48 R 24.45

39.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.30 R 21.41

6.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.13 R 18.60

-35.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$3.60 R 59.3

71.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$6.15 R 101

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.38 R 22.66

-12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.50 R 24.65

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 €28.94

$60.8 R 1,001

-46.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.59 R 9.71

574.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.50 R 24.65

-7.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.08 €20.53

$5.11 R 84.2

351.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.55 R 25.50

15.48%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-3.68%

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

$28.8K €25.6K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-7.75%

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

$146 €130

$114 R 1,883

27.90%

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

$18.28 €16.26

$28.91 R 476

-36.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 €26.99

$39.73 R 654

-23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 €40.45

$49.01 R 808

-7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.48 €13.77

$10.99 R 181

40.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.92

$9.15 R 151

-2.73%

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

$485 €432

$259 R 4,264

87.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,361 €7,437

$6,794 R 111.9K

23.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$56.2 R 926

52.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.49 €31.57

$32.41 R 534

9.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$121 R 1,987

-25.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.2

$108 R 1,781

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €794

$1,021 R 16.8K

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €603

$717 R 11.8K

-5.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,213

$1,824 R 30.1K

-25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €890

$1,327 R 21.9K

-24.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,355 €2,985

$2,391 R 39.4K

40.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 €1,947

$1,542 R 25.4K

42.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.97

-69.92%

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

Last update for El Paso: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso

$678 41.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 5.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

El Paso

$266 16.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 15.4% $41

Eating Out

El Paso

$238 14.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 26% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso

$195 11.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 6.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso

$145 8.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 1.5% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso

$63 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6.4% $4

Getting Around

El Paso

$50 3.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 49.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in El Paso 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in El Paso versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Paso

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

02:50 2:50 AM

1 h ahead of El Paso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 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

El Paso Cape Town 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

El Paso costs about 3% 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 $2,453 per month in El Paso 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 $1,635 in El Paso and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 87% 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 El Paso at $1,635. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,635 in El Paso. 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, El Paso makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.