Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Figueira da Foz and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Figueira da Foz: $1,211 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Figueira da Foz
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,211
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,211 per month in Figueira da Foz vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Figueira da Foz $1,211
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,780 per month in Figueira da Foz vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Figueira da Foz $1,780
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,349 per month in Figueira da Foz vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Figueira da Foz $2,349
  • Cape Town $3,263

Figueira da Foz is about 24% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Figueira da Foz sits 10% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.13 €9.01
$12.14 R 200
-16.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.34 €40.33
$45.34 R 747
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.67 €5.93
$5.88 R 96.9
13.44%
Cappuccino
$1.43 €1.27
$2.50 R 41.18
-42.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.27 R 20.94
17.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.98
$0.98 R 16.14
12.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 €1.59
$2.99 R 49.33
-40.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 €2.51
$3.72 R 61.4
-24.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.95 €0.85
$1.30 R 21.40
-26.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.25 R 20.68
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 €1.44
$2.23 R 36.76
-27.35%
Eggs
$2.71 €2.41
$3.11 R 51.2
-12.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.18 €5.50
$9.06 R 149
-31.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.37 €5.67
$6.92 R 114
-7.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.49 €9.33
$9.30 R 153
12.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 €1.70
$1.84 R 30.25
3.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.96 R 32.29
-29.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.67 R 27.45
7.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.87 €1.66
$2.17 R 35.70
-13.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.57 R 25.81
9.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.48 R 24.45
20.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.30 R 21.41
-3.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 €0.40
$1.13 R 18.60
-60.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.01 €5.35
$3.60 R 59.3
66.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.87 €3.44
$6.15 R 101
-37.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.83
$1.38 R 22.66
-31.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.33
$2.14 R 35.20
22.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$1.50 R 24.65
56.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.32 €34.09
$60.8 R 1,001
-36.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.54 €2.26
$0.59 R 9.71
330.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 €0.71
$1.50 R 24.65
-47.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.10 €8.98
$5.11 R 84.2
97.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.55 R 25.50
30.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K €29.9K
$36.2K R 596.5K
-7.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K €34.1K
$31.2K R 514.8K
22.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.2 €85.6
$114 R 1,883
-15.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.41 €19.05
$28.91 R 476
-25.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.19 €27.74
$39.73 R 654
-21.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.55 €30.73
$49.01 R 808
-29.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.61 €17.44
$10.99 R 181
78.43%
Cinema Ticket
$8.29 €7.37
$9.15 R 151
-9.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$278 €247
$259 R 4,264
7.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,886 €5,236
$6,794 R 111.9K
-13.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 €51.7
$56.2 R 926
3.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.92 €31.95
$32.41 R 534
10.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.32 €39.43
$121 R 1,987
-63.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 €81.2
$108 R 1,781
-15.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$688 €612
$1,021 R 16.8K
-32.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$517 €460
$717 R 11.8K
-27.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 €996
$1,824 R 30.1K
-38.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$739 €658
$1,327 R 21.9K
-44.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,088 €1,857
$2,391 R 39.4K
-12.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,431 €1,273
$1,542 R 25.4K
-7.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Figueira da Foz
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,135 €1,010
$1,639 R 27.0K
-30.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
10.97
-67.82%

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

Last update for Figueira da Foz: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Figueira da Foz
$517
Cape Town
$717 38.5% $199
Groceries & Markets
Figueira da Foz
$192
Cape Town
$225 16.8% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Figueira da Foz
$149
Cape Town
$183 23% $34
Eating Out
Figueira da Foz
$143
Cape Town
$176 23.1% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Figueira da Foz
$103
Cape Town
$143 38.2% $39
Getting Around
Figueira da Foz
$54
Cape Town
$75 37.9% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Figueira da Foz
$51
Cape Town
$67 31.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $688 in Figueira da Foz 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 44% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Figueira da Foz versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $225 – making Figueira da Foz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Figueira da Foz
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
01:18 1:18 AM
02:18 2:18 AM
1 h ahead of Figueira da Foz
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,962
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Figueira da Foz Cape Town 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Figueira da Foz
  • 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
Figueira da Foz vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Figueira da Foz or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 31% more than Figueira da Foz, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Figueira da Foz and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Figueira da Foz and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Figueira da Foz or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Figueira da Foz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Figueira da Foz compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,211 in Figueira da Foz and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 31%.
How expensive is transport in Figueira da Foz compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 59% less in Figueira da Foz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Figueira da Foz or in Cape Town?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Figueira da Foz, where all-in costs run around $1,211, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Figueira da Foz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Figueira da Foz or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Figueira da Foz costs $1,211 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Figueira da Foz compared to Cape Town?
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.
Should I move to Figueira da Foz or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Figueira da Foz. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Figueira da Foz vs other spots: cost of living compared

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