Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Faro and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,764 in Faro, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Faro
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Faro Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Faro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,764

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Faro vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Faro $1,764
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,627 per month in Faro vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Faro $2,627
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Faro vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Faro $3,489
Cape Town $3,263

Faro costs about 11% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Faro and Cape Town sit above the global median – Faro by 31%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.34 €11.87

$12.14 R 200

9.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 €39.44

$45.34 R 747

-2.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.98

$5.88 R 96.9

90.82%

Cappuccino

$1.81 €1.61

$2.50 R 41.18

-27.60%

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

$2.30 €2.05

$1.27 R 20.94

81.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.98 R 16.14

74.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.99 R 49.33

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.72 R 61.4

-31.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.30 R 21.40

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 R 20.68

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.23 R 36.76

-22.87%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$3.11 R 51.2

10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 €12.44

$9.06 R 149

54.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 €5.35

$6.92 R 114

-13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.30 R 153

21.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.84 R 30.25

41.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.96 R 32.29

-33.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.67 R 27.45

-6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.17 R 35.70

21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.57 R 25.81

101.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.48 R 24.45

40.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.30 R 21.41

3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.13 R 18.60

0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.79

$3.60 R 59.3

80.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$6.15 R 101

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$1.38 R 22.66

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.14 R 35.20

58.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.50 R 24.65

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.55 €36.96

$60.8 R 1,001

-31.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 €3.19

$0.59 R 9.71

506.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.50 R 24.65

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.33 €18.97

$5.11 R 84.2

317.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.55 R 25.50

30.97%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-6.39%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

21.33%

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

$109 €97.0

$114 R 1,883

-4.60%

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

$19.47 €17.32

$28.91 R 476

-32.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €30.89

$39.73 R 654

-12.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.21 €38.44

$49.01 R 808

-11.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.55 €19.17

$10.99 R 181

96.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 €9.73

$9.15 R 151

19.56%

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

$456 €405

$259 R 4,264

76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,829

$6,794 R 111.9K

62.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 €61.9

$56.2 R 926

23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.44 €38.64

$32.41 R 534

34.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.2

$121 R 1,987

-14.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.3

$108 R 1,781

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €914

$1,021 R 16.8K

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 €787

$717 R 11.8K

23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,520

$1,824 R 30.1K

-6.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,339

$1,327 R 21.9K

13.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 €4,111

$2,391 R 39.4K

93.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,560 €3,166

$1,542 R 25.4K

130.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 €1,193

$1,639 R 27.0K

-18.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

10.97

-67.46%

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

Last update for Faro: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Faro

$885 50.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 19% $168

Groceries & Markets

Faro

$246 13.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 8.5% $21

Eating Out

Faro

$197 11.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 10.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Faro

$163 9.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 12.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Faro

$144 8.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Faro

$65 3.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 3.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Faro

$64 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 17.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Faro 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Faro versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Faro vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Faro

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

1 h ahead of Faro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,650

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

Faro Cape Town 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Faro
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

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

Faro costs about 11% 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 $2,646 per month in Faro 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 $1,764 in Faro and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 46% 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 Faro at $1,764. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Faro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,764 in Faro. 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, Faro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.