Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Funchal and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,087 in Funchal, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Funchal
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Funchal Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Funchal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,087

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,087 per month in Funchal vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Funchal $2,087
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,066 per month in Funchal vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Funchal $3,066
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,046 per month in Funchal vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Funchal $4,046
Cape Town $3,307

Funchal costs about 33% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Funchal and Cape Town sit above the global median – Funchal by 56%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.03 €13.41

$11.78 R 194

27.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 €58.0

$46.55 R 768

39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.87

$5.96 R 98.4

123.15%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.47 R 40.80

-21.05%

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

$1.67 €1.49

$1.33 R 21.91

25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.03 R 16.99

35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 €2.46

$3.01 R 49.72

-8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.41

$3.66 R 60.4

4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.39 R 22.96

-23.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.19 R 19.60

47.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.11 R 34.84

-23.22%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.38

$3.01 R 49.58

25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 €9.09

$8.96 R 148

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$6.65 R 110

9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 €10.64

$9.29 R 153

28.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.83 R 30.13

-2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.90 R 31.31

-5.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.75 R 28.83

0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.09 R 34.41

17.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.55 R 25.64

23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.49 R 24.53

33.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.30 R 21.41

26.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.16 R 19.19

-30.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 €4.86

$3.71 R 61.2

46.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.69 €5.97

$6.06 R 100

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.39 R 22.85

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.20 R 36.32

17.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.51 R 24.98

45.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.23 €29.66

$61.0 R 1,006

-45.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$0.63 R 10.33

534.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.53 R 25.29

-7.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.31 €16.34

$4.81 R 79.4

280.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.58 R 26.08

33.54%

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

$33.1K €29.6K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-6.62%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$31.7K R 523.8K

22.50%

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

$123 €110

$116 R 1,920

6.06%

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

$17.01 €15.18

$28.37 R 468

-40.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.63 €43.40

$40.69 R 671

19.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 €36.09

$48.85 R 806

-17.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.23 €7.34

$11.13 R 184

-26.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.61 €7.68

$8.83 R 146

-2.49%

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

$423 €377

$261 R 4,314

61.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,385 €7,483

$6,702 R 110.6K

25.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 €56.8

$55.4 R 914

14.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.28 €29.70

$32.27 R 532

3.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.6

$118 R 1,939

-24.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 €68.3

$107 R 1,766

-28.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 €1,323

$1,015 R 16.7K

46.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 €1,111

$715 R 11.8K

74.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 €2,245

$1,801 R 29.7K

39.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,330 R 22.0K

47.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,842 €4,321

$2,331 R 38.5K

107.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €2,984

$1,513 R 25.0K

121.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 €1,274

$1,636 R 27.0K

-12.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

10.97

-67.27%

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

Last update for Funchal: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Funchal

$1.2K 58.6%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 42.5% $530

Groceries & Markets

Funchal

$243 11.4%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 8.3% $20

Eating Out

Funchal

$217 10.2%

Cape Town

$174 11% 20% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Funchal

$189 8.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 1.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Funchal

$118 5.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 18.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Funchal

$58 2.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 15.3% $8.9

Getting Around

Funchal

$53 2.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 41.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,483 in Funchal versus $1,015 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 15% 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 $65.0 in Funchal versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Funchal

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h ahead of Funchal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,795

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Funchal
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

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

Funchal costs about 33% 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 $3,130 per month in Funchal and $2,352 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 $2,087 in Funchal and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 83% 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 $1,568, than in Funchal at $2,087. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Funchal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,087 in Funchal. 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, Funchal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.