Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Portlaoise vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Portlaoise $2,347
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,746 per month in Portlaoise vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Portlaoise $3,746
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $5,145 per month in Portlaoise vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Portlaoise $5,145
Cape Town $3,263

Portlaoise costs about 48% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portlaoise and Cape Town sit above the global median – Portlaoise by 74%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$12.14 R 200

86.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$45.34 R 747

73.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.31

$5.88 R 96.9

116.33%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$2.50 R 41.18

76.00%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$1.27 R 20.94

96.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.98 R 16.14

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$2.99 R 49.33

120.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.72 R 61.4

64.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.30 R 21.40

31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.25 R 20.68

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.23 R 36.76

-16.59%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.11 R 51.2

48.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.48

$9.06 R 149

54.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.45

$6.92 R 114

86.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$9.30 R 153

80.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.84 R 30.25

80.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.96 R 32.29

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.67 R 27.45

95.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$2.17 R 35.70

123.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.57 R 25.81

47.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.48 R 24.45

16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.30 R 21.41

6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.13 R 18.60

85.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.12

$3.60 R 59.3

466.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$6.15 R 101

119.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$1.38 R 22.66

197.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.14 R 35.20

68.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$1.50 R 24.65

210.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$60.8 R 1,001

-27.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$0.59 R 9.71

786.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.50 R 24.65

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$5.11 R 84.2

551.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.55 R 25.50

30.97%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$36.2K R 596.5K

7.23%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

21.77%

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

$239 €212

$114 R 1,883

108.81%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$28.91 R 476

-24.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.40

$39.73 R 654

39.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$49.01 R 808

12.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$9.15 R 151

46.99%

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

$1,072 €953

$259 R 4,264

314.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

$6,794 R 111.9K

-20.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$56.2 R 926

68.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.94

$32.41 R 534

31.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$121 R 1,987

-10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$108 R 1,781

12.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$1,021 R 16.8K

20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$717 R 11.8K

37.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,824 R 30.1K

24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$1,327 R 21.9K

62.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$1,639 R 27.0K

69.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.97

-68.09%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 27.1% $267

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 42.3% $165

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 47.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 42.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 13.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 1.1% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,229 in Portlaoise 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 70% higher in Portlaoise, 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 $78.0 in Portlaoise versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Portlaoise Cape Town 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Portlaoise
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

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

Portlaoise costs about 48% 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 $3,521 per month in Portlaoise 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 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 $2,347 in Portlaoise and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 48%.

Public transport costs about 38% 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 $1,586, than in Portlaoise at $2,347. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portlaoise it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,347 in Portlaoise. 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, Portlaoise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.