Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lousã and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Lousã and in Cape Town: $1,617 and $1,599 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Lousã
Learn more

Lousã Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Lousã

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,617

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,617 per month in Lousã vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lousã $1,617
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $2,372 per month in Lousã vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lousã $2,372
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $3,128 per month in Lousã vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lousã $3,128
Cape Town $3,320

Lousã costs about 1% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Lousã and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lousã by 19%, Cape Town by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.57 €12.07

$12.07 R 199

12.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.92 €41.74

$46.65 R 769

0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 €8.09

$6.20 R 102

46.77%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.89

$2.50 R 41.13

-14.80%

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

$2.00 €1.78

$1.35 R 22.28

48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.00 R 16.47

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.06 R 50.4

-28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.67 R 60.5

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.30 R 21.45

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.27 R 20.89

18.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.17 R 35.68

-22.58%

Eggs

$2.82 €2.51

$3.09 R 50.9

-8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$8.98 R 148

29.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 €6.74

$6.99 R 115

8.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 €12.93

$9.67 R 159

50.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.87 R 30.78

4.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.93 R 31.72

-21.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.77 R 29.13

3.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.18 R 35.86

16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.52 R 25.07

21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.56 R 25.63

25.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.32 R 21.74

20.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$1.15 R 18.97

-37.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$3.72 R 61.4

73.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$6.01 R 99.0

-24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.34 R 22.13

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.13 R 35.11

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.55 R 25.53

45.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.25 €36.69

$61.3 R 1,010

-32.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$0.60 R 9.85

631.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.54 R 25.36

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.83 €12.30

$5.01 R 82.5

176.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.60 R 26.33

30.62%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$35.4K R 583.4K

-5.51%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$34.7K R 570.9K

11.44%

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

$106 €94.3

$119 R 1,955

-10.60%

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

$17.49 €15.56

$29.42 R 485

-40.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.93 €28.41

$39.81 R 656

-19.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.29 €36.73

$50.8 R 836

-18.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 €14.96

$10.93 R 180

53.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 €7.36

$8.99 R 148

-7.90%

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

$458 €407

$261 R 4,303

75.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,410 €5,702

$6,966 R 114.8K

-7.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 €86.0

$56.1 R 925

72.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.44 €31.52

$33.26 R 548

6.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 €66.8

$121 R 1,999

-38.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.6

$108 R 1,779

-2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$1,028 R 16.9K

-5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 €682

$720 R 11.9K

6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 €1,379

$1,835 R 30.2K

-15.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,051

$1,360 R 22.4K

-13.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,980 €2,650

$2,407 R 39.6K

23.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,237 €1,990

$1,504 R 24.8K

48.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

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 Lousã: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lousã

$766 47.4%

Cape Town

$720 45% 6.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Lousã

$243 15%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 6.9% $17

Eating Out

Lousã

$192 11.9%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 7.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lousã

$155 9.6%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 20.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Lousã

$141 8.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 2% $2.9

Getting Around

Lousã

$62 3.8%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 22.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lousã

$58 3.6%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 18.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $976 in Lousã versus $1,028 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 $47.00 in Lousã versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Lousã vs $226 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lousã

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h ahead of Lousã

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,007

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lousã Cape Town 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lousã
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

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

Lousã costs about 1% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,425 per month in Lousã and $2,398 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 $1,617 in Lousã and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 49% 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 $1,599, than in Lousã at $1,617. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lousã it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $1,617 in Lousã. 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, Lousã makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.