Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,718 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,718
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $1,718
  • Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $2,608
  • Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,497 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $3,497
  • Cape Town $3,307

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria costs about 10% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Cape Town sit above the global median – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria by 28%, Cape Town by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.23 €11.81
$11.78 R 194
12.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.8 €65.0
$46.55 R 768
56.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.46 €9.34
$5.96 R 98.4
75.50%
Cappuccino
$2.57 €2.29
$2.47 R 40.80
4.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.33 R 21.91
60.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$1.03 R 16.99
63.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 €2.84
$3.01 R 49.72
5.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 €3.17
$3.66 R 60.4
-2.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.39 R 22.96
-21.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.19 R 19.60
39.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 €1.48
$2.11 R 34.84
-21.33%
Eggs
$3.58 €3.20
$3.01 R 49.58
18.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.28 €10.95
$8.96 R 148
37.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.80 €8.74
$6.65 R 110
47.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.20 €16.24
$9.29 R 153
95.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 €2.26
$1.83 R 30.13
38.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 €2.29
$1.90 R 31.31
34.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 €2.09
$1.75 R 28.83
33.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$2.09 R 34.41
21.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.43 €2.17
$1.55 R 25.64
56.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.49 R 24.53
54.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.30 R 21.41
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 €0.74
$1.16 R 19.19
-28.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.62 €4.12
$3.71 R 61.2
24.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.62 €5.90
$6.06 R 100
9.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 €1.60
$1.39 R 22.85
28.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.34
$2.20 R 36.32
19.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.78 €1.59
$1.51 R 24.98
17.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.55 €13.88
$61.0 R 1,006
-74.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 €3.06
$0.63 R 10.33
444.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.53 R 25.29
49.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.99 €24.97
$4.81 R 79.4
481.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.58 R 26.08
10.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K €31.4K
$35.5K R 585.7K
-0.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K €26.1K
$31.7K R 523.8K
-7.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 €103
$116 R 1,920
-1.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.87 €17.73
$28.37 R 468
-29.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.64 €25.55
$40.69 R 671
-29.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.29 €38.63
$48.85 R 806
-11.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.66 €14.86
$11.13 R 184
49.69%
Cinema Ticket
$9.15 €8.16
$8.83 R 146
3.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$475 €424
$261 R 4,314
81.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,698 €5,977
$6,702 R 110.6K
-0.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.0 €77.6
$55.4 R 914
56.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.21 €34.10
$32.27 R 532
18.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 €82.7
$118 R 1,939
-21.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$107 R 1,766
12.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 €861
$1,015 R 16.7K
-4.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 €691
$715 R 11.8K
8.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 €1,368
$1,801 R 29.7K
-14.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 €1,067
$1,330 R 22.0K
-10.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,200 €2,855
$2,331 R 38.5K
37.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,829 €1,632
$1,513 R 25.0K
20.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,697 €1,515
$1,636 R 27.0K
3.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.15
10.97
-71.29%

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

Last update for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$775
Cape Town
$715 7.6% $59
Groceries & Markets
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$296
Cape Town
$222 24.9% $74
Eating Out
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$206
Cape Town
$174 15.8% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$164
Cape Town
$185 13.4% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$152
Cape Town
$141 7.8% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$62
Cape Town
$67 8% $4.9
Getting Around
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$37
Cape Town
$75 101% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $965 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 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 4% higher in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 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 $73.0 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
06:58 6:58 AM
07:58 7:58 AM
1 h ahead of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
378,027
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Cape Town 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  • 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
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Cape Town?
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria costs about 10% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Cape Town?
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.
How much does it cost to live in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,718 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 10%.
How expensive is transport in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 292% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at $1,718. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,718 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 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 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

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