Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and in Cape Town: $1,600 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,345 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
Cape Town $3,307

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs about 2% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Cape Town sit above the global median – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$11.78 R 195

29.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.5

$46.55 R 770

23.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 €9.32

$5.96 R 98.7

74.50%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.91

$2.47 R 40.92

-13.77%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$1.33 R 21.98

81.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.03 R 17.04

66.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 €2.90

$3.01 R 49.87

7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.03

$3.66 R 60.6

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.39 R 23.02

-13.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.19 R 19.66

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.11 R 34.94

-23.22%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.51

$3.01 R 49.73

-6.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$8.96 R 148

53.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$6.65 R 110

24.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 €13.71

$9.29 R 154

64.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.83 R 30.22

34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.90 R 31.40

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.75 R 28.92

13.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.09 R 34.51

22.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.55 R 25.72

10.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.49 R 24.60

37.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.30 R 21.48

0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.16 R 19.25

-34.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$3.71 R 61.3

69.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$6.06 R 100

-6.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.39 R 22.92

-10.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.20 R 36.42

-7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.51 R 25.05

12.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.53 €30.93

$61.0 R 1,009

-43.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.58

$0.63 R 10.36

534.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.53 R 25.37

-18.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €22.06

$4.81 R 79.6

412.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.58 R 26.16

13.92%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$35.5K R 587.4K

8.09%

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

$30.4K €27.3K

$31.7K R 525.4K

-4.18%

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

$133 €119

$116 R 1,926

14.38%

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

$21.10 €18.90

$28.37 R 469

-25.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.69

$40.69 R 673

-24.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.28 €42.36

$48.85 R 808

-3.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 €13.72

$11.13 R 184

37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$8.83 R 146

4.08%

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

$409 €366

$261 R 4,326

56.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,292 €7,428

$6,702 R 110.9K

23.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.2

$55.4 R 917

53.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 €31.62

$32.27 R 534

9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.8

$118 R 1,944

-24.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$107 R 1,771

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €755

$1,015 R 16.8K

-16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €618

$715 R 11.8K

-3.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,168

$1,801 R 29.8K

-27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €891

$1,330 R 22.0K

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €2,996

$2,331 R 38.6K

43.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 €2,068

$1,513 R 25.0K

52.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.97

-68.09%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: 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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 3.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 15% $39

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 20.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 1.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 46.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

1 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 16.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Cape Town 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs about 2% 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 $2,401 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 77% 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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands at $1,600. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. 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, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.