Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Motril and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Motril and in Cape Town: $1,493 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

71

Cost of Living Index in Motril
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Motril Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Motril

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,493

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,493 per month in Motril vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Motril $1,493
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,235 per month in Motril vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Motril $2,235
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,976 per month in Motril vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Motril $2,976
Cape Town $3,306

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

Both Motril and Cape Town sit above the global median – Motril by 10%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.13

$12.01 R 198

41.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 €50.8

$42.92 R 707

32.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 €5.85

$6.15 R 101

6.83%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.95

$2.37 R 39.04

-7.59%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$1.27 R 20.96

118.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.94 R 15.46

136.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.96 R 48.77

46.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$3.69 R 60.8

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.32 R 21.73

-13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.21 R 19.87

44.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.20 R 36.26

-37.73%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.63

$3.10 R 51.1

31.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.79

$8.73 R 144

51.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 €4.03

$6.89 R 114

-34.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.98 €14.23

$9.26 R 153

72.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.83 R 30.08

19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.95 R 32.12

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.66 R 27.32

37.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.14 R 35.19

28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.58 R 26.01

16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.47 R 24.29

89.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.35 R 22.18

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.14 R 18.85

-34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.58 R 59.0

86.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 €7.89

$6.05 R 99.7

46.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.39 R 22.95

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.18 R 35.90

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.40 R 23.02

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 €26.16

$60.8 R 1,001

-51.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.93 R 15.26

121.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.90 R 14.83

23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.97 €19.56

$4.96 R 81.7

342.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.54 R 25.37

14.29%

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

$25.6K €22.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-27.49%

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

$31.3K €27.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-6.10%

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

$79.1 €70.4

$117 R 1,929

-32.43%

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

$15.93 €14.19

$25.71 R 424

-38.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 €20.00

$39.41 R 649

-42.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.43

$51.6 R 850

-1.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.69

$11.35 R 187

35.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.72 €5.99

$8.89 R 146

-24.41%

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

$251 €223

$308 R 5,069

-18.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K €14.9K

$8,141 R 134.2K

106.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 €29.64

$57.4 R 946

-41.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 €24.72

$31.75 R 523

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €70.4

$116 R 1,911

-31.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.22 €40.26

$101 R 1,660

-55.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 €823

$1,047 R 17.2K

-11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 €612

$669 R 11.0K

2.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,210

$1,861 R 30.7K

-26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €925

$1,407 R 23.2K

-26.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,376 €3,006

$2,410 R 39.7K

40.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,219 €1,976

$1,570 R 25.9K

41.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,652 €1,471

$1,630 R 26.9K

1.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-72.45%

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

Last update for Motril: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Motril

$687 46%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 2.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Motril

$265 17.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 15.7% $41

Eating Out

Motril

$232 15.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 25.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Motril

$118 7.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 55% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Motril

$83 5.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 65% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Motril

$64 4.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 7.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Motril

$43 2.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 65.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Motril 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Motril versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Motril

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h ahead of Motril

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,939

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 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Motril Cape Town 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Motril
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,240 per month in Motril 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 Motril, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $251 per month in Motril and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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