Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataro and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,853 in Mataro, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
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Mataro Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,853

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,853 per month in Mataro vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mataro $1,853
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,704 per month in Mataro vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mataro $2,704
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,555 per month in Mataro vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mataro $3,555
Cape Town $3,306

Mataro costs about 21% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mataro and Cape Town sit above the global median – Mataro by 37%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.53 €14.79

$12.01 R 199

37.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.2

$42.92 R 709

30.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.79

$6.15 R 102

114.15%

Cappuccino

$2.06 €1.84

$2.37 R 39.16

-13.08%

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

$2.36 €2.11

$1.27 R 21.03

85.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.94 R 15.50

97.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 €3.52

$2.96 R 48.92

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$3.69 R 61.0

-9.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.32 R 21.80

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.21 R 19.93

76.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.20 R 36.37

-31.36%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.56

$3.10 R 51.3

28.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 €15.31

$8.73 R 144

95.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 €8.31

$6.89 R 114

34.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 €18.01

$9.26 R 153

117.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$1.83 R 30.17

48.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.95 R 32.22

2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$1.66 R 27.40

65.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.14 R 35.30

34.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.58 R 26.09

29.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.47 R 24.37

51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.35 R 22.25

15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.14 R 18.91

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.67

$3.58 R 59.1

76.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.03

$6.05 R 100

-7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.39 R 23.02

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.18 R 36.01

2.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.40 R 23.09

85.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.33 €31.61

$60.8 R 1,004

-41.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.93 R 15.31

144.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.90 R 14.88

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 €26.38

$4.96 R 82.0

494.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.54 R 25.45

20.78%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-5.70%

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

$31.2K €27.9K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-6.61%

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

$182 €163

$117 R 1,935

55.55%

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

$12.42 €11.12

$25.71 R 425

-51.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.03 €25.97

$39.41 R 651

-26.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 €55.7

$51.6 R 853

20.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.21 €12.72

$11.35 R 188

25.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.72 €9.59

$8.89 R 147

20.58%

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

$498 €445

$308 R 5,085

61.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,123 €8,163

$8,141 R 134.6K

12.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 €78.4

$57.4 R 948

52.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.69

$31.75 R 525

25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 €88.8

$116 R 1,917

-14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$101 R 1,665

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €843

$1,047 R 17.3K

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 €703

$669 R 11.1K

17.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,216

$1,861 R 30.8K

-26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,047

$1,407 R 23.3K

-16.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,353 €3,000

$2,410 R 39.8K

39.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,781 €2,488

$1,570 R 25.9K

77.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,568 €1,403

$1,630 R 26.9K

-3.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

10.89

-70.71%

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

Last update for Mataro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mataro

$785 42.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 14.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Mataro

$314 17%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 29% $91

Eating Out

Mataro

$240 12.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 27.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataro

$224 12.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 18.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mataro

$153 8.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 10.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mataro

$84 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 17.1% $14

Getting Around

Mataro

$53 2.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 34.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Mataro 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 4% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Mataro versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Mataro

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

22:58 10:58 PM

1 h ahead of Mataro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

129,870

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mataro Cape Town 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mataro
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

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

Mataro costs about 21% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,780 per month in Mataro 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 Mataro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $942 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,853 in Mataro and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Mataro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,853 in Mataro and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,853 in Mataro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.