Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guimaraes and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Guimaraes and in Cape Town: $1,592 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Guimaraes
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Guimaraes Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Guimaraes

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,592 per month in Guimaraes vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guimaraes $1,592
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,304 per month in Guimaraes vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guimaraes $2,304
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,015 per month in Guimaraes vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Guimaraes $3,015
Cape Town $3,263

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

Both Guimaraes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Guimaraes by 18%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.07 €11.63

$12.14 R 200

7.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 €44.72

$45.34 R 747

10.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 €7.81

$5.88 R 96.9

49.32%

Cappuccino

$1.86 €1.66

$2.50 R 41.18

-25.60%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$1.27 R 20.94

49.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.98 R 16.14

33.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.99 R 49.33

-26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.72 R 61.4

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.30 R 21.40

-14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.25 R 20.68

48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.23 R 36.76

-22.42%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.68

$3.11 R 51.2

-2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$9.06 R 149

35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.10

$6.92 R 114

15.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$9.30 R 153

58.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.84 R 30.25

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.96 R 32.29

-32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.67 R 27.45

10.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.17 R 35.70

13.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.57 R 25.81

26.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.48 R 24.45

22.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.30 R 21.41

18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.13 R 18.60

-15.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.59

$3.60 R 59.3

74.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 €3.87

$6.15 R 101

-29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.38 R 22.66

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.14 R 35.20

2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.50 R 24.65

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 €27.70

$60.8 R 1,001

-48.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.74

$0.59 R 9.71

611.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.50 R 24.65

-2.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.28 €14.48

$5.11 R 84.2

218.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.55 R 25.50

37.42%

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

$32.9K €29.2K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-9.18%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$31.2K R 514.8K

23.56%

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

$108 €95.8

$114 R 1,883

-5.79%

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

$16.83 €14.97

$28.91 R 476

-41.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 €41.41

$39.73 R 654

17.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.56 €37.86

$49.01 R 808

-13.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.76 €20.25

$10.99 R 181

107.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 €8.14

$9.15 R 151

0.11%

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

$385 €343

$259 R 4,264

48.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,487 €5,770

$6,794 R 111.9K

-4.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 €64.9

$56.2 R 926

29.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.68 €32.63

$32.41 R 534

13.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 €74.9

$121 R 1,987

-30.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 €85.5

$108 R 1,781

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 €829

$1,021 R 16.8K

-8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 €659

$717 R 11.8K

3.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$1,824 R 30.1K

-27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €942

$1,327 R 21.9K

-20.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 €2,462

$2,391 R 39.4K

15.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 €1,993

$1,542 R 25.4K

45.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,381 €1,228

$1,639 R 27.0K

-15.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

10.97

-66.27%

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

Last update for Guimaraes: 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

Guimaraes

$740 46.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 3.2% $23

Groceries & Markets

Guimaraes

$254 16%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 11.5% $29

Eating Out

Guimaraes

$183 11.5%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 3.6% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guimaraes

$171 10.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 6.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Guimaraes

$130 8.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Guimaraes

$61 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 10.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Guimaraes

$53 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 42% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in Guimaraes 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 19% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Guimaraes versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Guimaraes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

1 h ahead of Guimaraes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,849

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 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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guimaraes Cape Town 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Guimaraes
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,389 per month in Guimaraes 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.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Guimaraes, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Guimaraes and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Guimaraes at $1,592. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guimaraes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,592 in Guimaraes. 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, Guimaraes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.