Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,326 per month in Madrid vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Madrid $2,326
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,414 per month in Madrid vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Madrid $3,414
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,502 per month in Madrid vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Madrid $4,502
Cape Town $3,306

Madrid costs about 52% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Madrid and Cape Town sit above the global median – Madrid by 72%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.67 €16.63

$12.01 R 198

55.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$42.92 R 707

57.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.08

$6.15 R 101

102.28%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$2.37 R 39.04

35.02%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$1.27 R 20.96

159.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.94 R 15.46

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.96 R 48.77

30.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.20

$3.69 R 60.8

27.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.32 R 21.73

5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.21 R 19.87

35.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.20 R 36.26

-23.18%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.59

$3.10 R 51.1

30.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.48 €14.68

$8.73 R 144

88.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.16

$6.89 R 114

32.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.38

$9.26 R 153

86.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.83 R 30.08

37.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.95 R 32.12

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.66 R 27.32

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.14 R 35.19

15.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.58 R 26.01

46.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.47 R 24.29

39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.35 R 22.18

10.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.14 R 18.85

-7.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.10

$3.58 R 59.0

91.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.95

$6.05 R 99.7

28.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.39 R 22.95

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.18 R 35.90

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.40 R 23.02

22.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 €33.18

$60.8 R 1,001

-38.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 €2.86

$0.93 R 15.26

245.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.90 R 14.83

78.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.80 €27.43

$4.96 R 81.7

520.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.54 R 25.37

18.18%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-6.17%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-3.17%

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

$182 €162

$117 R 1,929

55.22%

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

$17.24 €15.35

$25.71 R 424

-32.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.81 €31.00

$39.41 R 649

-11.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 €42.08

$51.6 R 850

-8.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 €16.30

$11.35 R 187

61.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.95

$8.89 R 146

25.76%

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

$696 €620

$308 R 5,069

126.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €16.0K

$8,141 R 134.2K

120.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.6

$57.4 R 946

49.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.09 €38.37

$31.75 R 523

35.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.7

$116 R 1,911

-5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.4

$101 R 1,660

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 €1,358

$1,047 R 17.2K

45.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,094

$669 R 11.0K

83.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 €2,507

$1,861 R 30.7K

51.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,792

$1,407 R 23.2K

43.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,105 €8,107

$2,410 R 39.7K

277.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,699 €4,184

$1,570 R 25.9K

199.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,487 €2,214

$1,630 R 26.9K

52.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

10.89

-71.07%

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

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 45.6% $560

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 26.6% $81

Eating Out

Madrid

$276 11.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$234 10.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 22.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$158 6.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 29.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,525 in Madrid 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 53% higher in Madrid. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Madrid versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

1 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

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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Between locations

Madrid Cape Town 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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

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

Madrid costs about 52% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,489 per month in Madrid 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,525 in Madrid.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,326 in Madrid and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Madrid. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,326 in Madrid and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $2,326 in Madrid. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madrid makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.