Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Elche and in Cape Town: $1,503 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

71

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,503

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,503 per month in Elche vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Elche $1,503
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,220 per month in Elche vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Elche $2,220
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Elche vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Elche $2,937
Cape Town $3,306

Elche and Cape Town have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Elche and Cape Town sit above the global median – Elche by 11%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.04

$12.01 R 197

40.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 €49.08

$42.92 R 703

28.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.90

$6.15 R 101

80.65%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.21

$2.37 R 38.81

4.64%

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

$2.39 €2.13

$1.27 R 20.84

88.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.94 R 15.37

96.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.96 R 48.48

14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.69 R 60.5

-6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.32 R 21.61

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.21 R 19.75

29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.20 R 36.05

-30.00%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.76

$3.10 R 50.8

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.09 €12.55

$8.73 R 143

61.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.01

$6.89 R 113

14.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 €12.23

$9.26 R 152

48.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.83 R 29.90

36.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.95 R 31.94

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.66 R 27.16

18.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.14 R 34.99

13.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.58 R 25.86

16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.47 R 24.15

32.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.35 R 22.05

-19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.14 R 18.75

-38.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.91

$3.58 R 58.6

85.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.90

$6.05 R 99.2

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.39 R 22.82

-26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$2.18 R 35.69

-54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.40 R 22.88

1.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 €19.80

$60.8 R 995

-63.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 €2.18

$0.93 R 15.18

162.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.90 R 14.75

-2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 €23.91

$4.96 R 81.3

441.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.54 R 25.23

13.64%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-11.27%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-4.49%

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

$139 €124

$117 R 1,918

18.77%

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

$17.41 €15.51

$25.71 R 421

-32.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.95 €24.00

$39.41 R 646

-31.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 €41.40

$51.6 R 846

-9.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.33 €10.09

$11.35 R 186

-0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 €6.52

$8.89 R 146

-17.66%

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

$691 €616

$308 R 5,040

124.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K €9,598

$8,141 R 133.4K

32.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.5

$57.4 R 940

49.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.87 €31.95

$31.75 R 520

12.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 €78.6

$116 R 1,900

-23.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 €77.8

$101 R 1,650

-13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €602

$1,047 R 17.1K

-35.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 €533

$669 R 11.0K

-10.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 €859

$1,861 R 30.5K

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$870 €775

$1,407 R 23.1K

-38.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 €1,795

$2,410 R 39.5K

-16.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,536 €1,368

$1,570 R 25.7K

-2.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,592 €1,419

$1,630 R 26.7K

-2.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.89

-69.70%

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

Last update for Elche: 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

Elche

$599 39.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 11.7% $70

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$253 16.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 11.6% $29

Eating Out

Elche

$239 15.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$183 12.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 0.7% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$134 8.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.9% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$61 4.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 13.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Elche

$35 2.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 107% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Elche 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 $55 in Elche versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

1 h ahead of Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elche Cape Town 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,255 per month in Elche 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 Elche, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $676 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Elche and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,503 in Elche 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 $1,503 in Elche to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.