Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queluz and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,696 in Queluz, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Queluz
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Queluz Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Queluz

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,696

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,696 per month in Queluz vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Queluz $1,696
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,489 per month in Queluz vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Queluz $2,489
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,283 per month in Queluz vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Queluz $3,283
Cape Town $3,263

Queluz costs about 7% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Queluz and Cape Town sit above the global median – Queluz by 26%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$12.14 R 200

11.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.14 €25.03

$45.34 R 747

-37.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 €5.89

$5.88 R 96.9

12.76%

Cappuccino

$0.88 €0.78

$2.50 R 41.18

-64.80%

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

$1.72 €1.53

$1.27 R 20.94

35.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.98 R 16.14

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.99 R 49.33

-63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.72 R 61.4

-39.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.30 R 21.40

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.25 R 20.68

8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.23 R 36.76

-29.15%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.11 R 51.2

30.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.92 €15.05

$9.06 R 149

86.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.87

$6.92 R 114

11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.08 €24.08

$9.30 R 153

191.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.84 R 30.25

67.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.96 R 32.29

-34.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.67 R 27.45

6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.17 R 35.70

1.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.57 R 25.81

28.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.48 R 24.45

41.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.30 R 21.41

36.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.13 R 18.60

-18.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 €7.66

$3.60 R 59.3

139.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 €5.32

$6.15 R 101

-2.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$1.38 R 22.66

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.14 R 35.20

-26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.50 R 24.65

67.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.06 €40.97

$60.8 R 1,001

-24.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 €3.40

$0.59 R 9.71

547.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.50 R 24.65

-27.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.72 €13.98

$5.11 R 84.2

207.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.55 R 25.50

38.71%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-8.64%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

22.46%

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

$149 €132

$114 R 1,883

30.01%

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

$20.68 €18.39

$28.91 R 476

-28.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 €49.34

$39.73 R 654

39.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.18 €33.07

$49.01 R 808

-24.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.79 €16.71

$10.99 R 181

70.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 €7.87

$9.15 R 151

-3.28%

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

$651 €579

$259 R 4,264

151.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K €13.7K

$6,794 R 111.9K

126.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 €69.5

$56.2 R 926

39.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €49.88

$32.41 R 534

73.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 €68.8

$121 R 1,987

-35.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 €59.0

$108 R 1,781

-38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 €748

$1,021 R 16.8K

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 €672

$717 R 11.8K

5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,237

$1,824 R 30.1K

-23.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 €1,132

$1,327 R 21.9K

-4.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 €2,505

$2,391 R 39.4K

17.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,117 €1,883

$1,542 R 25.4K

37.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

10.97

-57.61%

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

Last update for Queluz: 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

Queluz

$755 44.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 5% $38

Groceries & Markets

Queluz

$310 18.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queluz

$225 13.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 18.6% $42

Eating Out

Queluz

$160 9.5%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 9.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Queluz

$125 7.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 14.2% $18

Getting Around

Queluz

$65 3.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 14.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Queluz

$55 3.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 22.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $841 in Queluz 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Queluz versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Queluz vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Queluz

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

1 h ahead of Queluz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,169

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Queluz
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

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

Queluz costs about 7% 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 $2,543 per month in Queluz 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 $1,696 in Queluz and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 32% 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 Queluz at $1,696. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queluz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,696 in Queluz. 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, Queluz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.