Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,111 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,111

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,111 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Sebastian $2,111
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,135 per month in San Sebastian vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Sebastian $3,135
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,158 per month in San Sebastian vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Sebastian $4,158
Cape Town $3,306

San Sebastian costs about 38% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Sebastian and Cape Town sit above the global median – San Sebastian by 56%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.20 €17.09

$12.01 R 198

59.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 €55.0

$42.92 R 707

43.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 €9.40

$6.15 R 101

71.54%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.11

$2.37 R 39.04

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

$2.75 €2.45

$1.27 R 20.96

116.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.94 R 15.46

64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.96 R 48.77

14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 €3.25

$3.69 R 60.8

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.32 R 21.73

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.21 R 19.87

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.20 R 36.26

-20.00%

Eggs

$3.57 €3.18

$3.10 R 51.1

15.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.28 €19.84

$8.73 R 144

155.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 €7.18

$6.89 R 114

16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.08 €18.77

$9.26 R 153

127.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.83 R 30.08

36.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.95 R 32.12

38.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 €2.87

$1.66 R 27.32

93.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.14 R 35.19

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.58 R 26.01

58.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.47 R 24.29

32.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.35 R 22.18

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.14 R 18.85

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 €6.31

$3.58 R 59.0

97.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.33

$6.05 R 99.7

17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.39 R 22.95

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.18 R 35.90

-15.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.40 R 23.02

51.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.03 €30.30

$60.8 R 1,001

-43.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 €6.56

$0.93 R 15.26

692.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.91

$0.90 R 14.83

14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.35 €26.14

$4.96 R 81.7

491.73%

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)

$35.8K €31.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

1.13%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-7.06%

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

$137 €122

$117 R 1,929

17.29%

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

$25.92 €23.08

$25.71 R 424

0.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.62 €31.71

$39.41 R 649

-9.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.96 €38.25

$51.6 R 850

-16.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 €17.61

$11.35 R 187

74.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 €7.54

$8.89 R 146

-4.72%

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

$445 €396

$308 R 5,069

44.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

68.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.5

$57.4 R 946

75.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.45 €28.89

$31.75 R 523

2.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 €77.4

$116 R 1,911

-25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$101 R 1,660

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 €1,320

$1,047 R 17.2K

41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €940

$669 R 11.0K

57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,098

$1,861 R 30.7K

26.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 €1,529

$1,407 R 23.2K

22.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,815 €8,740

$2,410 R 39.7K

307.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,281 €4,702

$1,570 R 25.9K

236.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,951 €2,628

$1,630 R 26.9K

81.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

10.89

-73.19%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: 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

San Sebastian

$1.1K 50%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 36.6% $387

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 31.6% $103

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$255 12.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 31.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$199 9.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 8.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$160 7.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 13.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$60 2.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 15.8% $9.5

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$55 2.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 30.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,482 in San Sebastian 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 81% higher in San Sebastian. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Sebastian versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Cape Town 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Sebastian costs about 38% 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 $3,166 per month in San Sebastian 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 $1,482 in San Sebastian.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,111 in San Sebastian and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 44% less in San Sebastian. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,111 in San Sebastian 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 $2,111 in San Sebastian. 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, San Sebastian makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.