Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Spain and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Leon and in Cape Town: $1,514 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

72

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Leon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,514

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,514 per month in Leon vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leon $1,514
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,127 per month in Leon vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leon $2,127
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,739 per month in Leon vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Leon $2,739
Cape Town $3,306

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

Both Leon and Cape Town sit above the global median – Leon by 12%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.82

$12.01 R 198

38.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.74 €38.05

$42.92 R 707

-0.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 €7.94

$6.15 R 101

45.04%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$2.37 R 39.04

-12.24%

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

$2.46 €2.19

$1.27 R 20.96

93.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.94 R 15.46

41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.96 R 48.77

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.69 R 60.8

-7.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.32 R 21.73

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.21 R 19.87

10.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.20 R 36.26

-39.55%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.85

$3.10 R 51.1

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 €9.05

$8.73 R 144

16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 €5.60

$6.89 R 114

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 €13.85

$9.26 R 153

67.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.83 R 30.08

35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.95 R 32.12

24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.66 R 27.32

42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.14 R 35.19

14.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.58 R 26.01

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 R 24.29

22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.35 R 22.18

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.14 R 18.85

-28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 €5.27

$3.58 R 59.0

65.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 €4.49

$6.05 R 99.7

-16.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.39 R 22.95

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.18 R 35.90

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.40 R 23.02

-2.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.67 €29.98

$60.8 R 1,001

-44.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.93 R 15.26

115.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.90 R 14.83

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.22 €22.45

$4.96 R 81.7

408.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.54 R 25.37

7.14%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.32%

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

$30.3K €26.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-9.35%

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

$166 €148

$117 R 1,929

41.62%

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

$16.76 €14.92

$25.71 R 424

-34.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.83 €26.56

$39.41 R 649

-24.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.06 €30.33

$51.6 R 850

-34.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.75 €5.12

$11.35 R 187

-49.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 €7.75

$8.89 R 146

-2.02%

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

$276 €246

$308 R 5,069

-10.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,671 €8,611

$8,141 R 134.2K

18.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €75.0

$57.4 R 946

46.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.97 €15.11

$31.75 R 523

-46.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 €73.7

$116 R 1,911

-28.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$101 R 1,660

28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €758

$1,047 R 17.2K

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 €532

$669 R 11.0K

-10.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 €822

$1,861 R 30.7K

-50.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$1,407 R 23.2K

-47.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 €1,813

$2,410 R 39.7K

-15.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,497 €1,333

$1,570 R 25.9K

-4.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 €1,520

$1,630 R 26.9K

4.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

10.89

-67.13%

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

Last update for Leon: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leon

$597 39.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 12% $72

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$244 16.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 8.4% $21

Eating Out

Leon

$221 14.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 21.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$212 14%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 14.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$141 9.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.3% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$51 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 34.8% $18

Getting Around

Leon

$47 3.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 51.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Leon versus $1,047 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 5% higher in Leon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Leon versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $244 in Leon vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Leon

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,281

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 = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Leon Cape Town 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,271 per month in Leon and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $852 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Leon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,514 in Leon and $1,527 in Cape Town, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.