Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Loures and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Loures and in Cape Town: $1,526 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Loures
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Loures Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Loures

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,526

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Loures vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Loures $1,526
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,329 per month in Loures vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Loures $2,329
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,133 per month in Loures vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Loures $3,133
Cape Town $3,263

Loures is about 4% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Loures and Cape Town sit above the global median – Loures by 13%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 €11.00

$12.14 R 200

1.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.4

$45.34 R 747

25.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 €7.82

$5.88 R 96.9

49.49%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.20

$2.50 R 41.18

-0.80%

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

$1.63 €1.45

$1.27 R 20.94

28.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.98 R 16.14

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.99 R 49.33

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.72 R 61.4

-7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.30 R 21.40

-17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.25 R 20.68

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.23 R 36.76

-29.60%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.11 R 51.2

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 €8.10

$9.06 R 149

0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.61 €6.77

$6.92 R 114

9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €13.45

$9.30 R 153

62.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.84 R 30.25

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.96 R 32.29

-35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.67 R 27.45

5.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.17 R 35.70

2.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.57 R 25.81

31.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.48 R 24.45

10.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.30 R 21.41

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.13 R 18.60

-44.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 €5.12

$3.60 R 59.3

60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.15 R 101

-46.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.38 R 22.66

-36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.14 R 35.20

11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.50 R 24.65

50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.64 €37.03

$60.8 R 1,001

-31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 €3.44

$0.59 R 9.71

555.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.50 R 24.65

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.95 €15.08

$5.11 R 84.2

231.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.55 R 25.50

37.42%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-8.80%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

21.25%

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

$99.0 €88.1

$114 R 1,883

-13.41%

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

$20.81 €18.51

$28.91 R 476

-28.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.77 €30.93

$39.73 R 654

-12.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 €41.78

$49.01 R 808

-4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.37 €14.56

$10.99 R 181

48.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.98 €7.10

$9.15 R 151

-12.79%

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

$581 €516

$259 R 4,264

124.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,759

$6,794 R 111.9K

61.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 €59.8

$56.2 R 926

19.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.34 €39.44

$32.41 R 534

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 €63.9

$121 R 1,987

-40.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 €84.2

$108 R 1,781

-12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 €885

$1,021 R 16.8K

-2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 €627

$717 R 11.8K

-1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,227

$1,824 R 30.1K

-24.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 €1,063

$1,327 R 21.9K

-9.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,025 €2,690

$2,391 R 39.4K

26.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,540 €2,259

$1,542 R 25.4K

64.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 €753

$1,639 R 27.0K

-48.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

10.97

-67.64%

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

Last update for Loures: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Loures

$705 46.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 1.7% $12

Groceries & Markets

Loures

$233 15.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 3.4% $7.9

Eating Out

Loures

$187 12.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 5.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Loures

$155 10.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 18.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Loures

$125 8.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 14.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Loures

$63 4.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Loures

$59 3.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 27.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Loures 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 94% higher in Cape Town, 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 $57.0 in Loures versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Loures

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

16:25 4:25 PM

1 h ahead of Loures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,632

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

Loures Cape Town 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Loures
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

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

Cape Town costs about 4% more than Loures, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,288 per month in Loures 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 Loures, 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 $1,526 in Loures and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Loures. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Loures, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Loures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Loures costs $1,526 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. 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 Loures. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.