Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Cruz de La Palma and in Cape Town: $1,622 and $1,599 a month, rent and utilities included.

Santa Cruz de La Palma
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,622
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,599
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 Santa Cruz de La Palma and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,622 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,622
  • Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $2,411 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,411
  • Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $3,200 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,200
  • Cape Town $3,320

Santa Cruz de La Palma costs about 1% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Cruz de La Palma and Cape Town sit above the global median – Santa Cruz de La Palma by 20%, Cape Town by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.58 €14.75
$12.07 R 199
37.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.2 €49.96
$46.65 R 769
20.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.99 €9.78
$6.20 R 102
77.26%
Cappuccino
$2.32 €2.07
$2.50 R 41.13
-7.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 €2.31
$1.35 R 22.28
91.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 €1.58
$1.00 R 16.47
78.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.33 €2.96
$3.06 R 50.4
8.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 €3.42
$3.67 R 60.5
4.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.30 R 21.45
-10.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 €1.33
$1.27 R 20.89
17.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 €1.37
$2.17 R 35.68
-28.57%
Eggs
$3.50 €3.12
$3.09 R 50.9
13.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.61 €10.33
$8.98 R 148
29.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.91 €7.04
$6.99 R 115
13.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.25 €15.34
$9.67 R 159
78.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 €2.44
$1.87 R 30.78
47.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.93 R 31.72
9.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.77 R 29.13
27.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.41 €2.14
$2.18 R 35.86
10.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.52 R 25.07
24.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.56 R 25.63
37.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.32 R 21.74
7.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 €0.63
$1.15 R 18.97
-39.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.75 €5.12
$3.72 R 61.4
54.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 €5.38
$6.01 R 99.0
0.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.34 R 22.13
-17.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 €2.08
$2.13 R 35.11
9.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.66 €1.47
$1.55 R 25.53
7.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.48 €29.78
$61.3 R 1,010
-45.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$0.60 R 9.85
565.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 €1.12
$1.54 R 25.36
-18.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.77 €21.15
$5.01 R 82.5
374.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.60 R 26.33
9.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K €32.8K
$35.4K R 583.4K
4.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K €24.1K
$34.7K R 570.9K
-21.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 €124
$119 R 1,955
17.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.28 €16.26
$29.42 R 485
-37.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.14 €24.14
$39.81 R 656
-31.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.66 €42.39
$50.8 R 836
-6.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.19 €13.51
$10.93 R 180
38.98%
Cinema Ticket
$8.93 €7.94
$8.99 R 148
-0.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$408 €363
$261 R 4,303
56.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,540 €7,596
$6,966 R 114.8K
22.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.1 €78.4
$56.1 R 925
56.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.25 €36.69
$33.26 R 548
24.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 €75.5
$121 R 1,999
-30.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 €97.7
$108 R 1,779
1.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$904 €804
$1,028 R 16.9K
-12.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$674 €600
$720 R 11.9K
-6.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,343 €1,195
$1,835 R 30.2K
-26.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,027 €914
$1,360 R 22.4K
-24.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,343 €2,974
$2,407 R 39.6K
38.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,209 €1,965
$1,504 R 24.8K
46.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,360 €1,210
$1,649 R 27.2K
-17.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.3
10.97
-69.92%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$674
Cape Town
$720 6.8% $46
Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$267
Cape Town
$226 15.2% $40
Eating Out
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$235
Cape Town
$177 24.7% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$185
Cape Town
$188 1.8% $3.3
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$146
Cape Town
$143 1.7% $2.4
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$66
Cape Town
$69 4.9% $3.2
Getting Around
Santa Cruz de La Palma
$50
Cape Town
$76 50.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $1,028 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 21% 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 $56.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $226 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
23:15 11:15 PM
00:15 12:15 AM
1 h ahead of Santa Cruz de La Palma
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,441
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma Cape Town 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma
  • 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
Santa Cruz de La Palma vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Santa Cruz de La Palma or Cape Town?
Santa Cruz de La Palma costs about 1% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Santa Cruz de La Palma and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,434 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Santa Cruz de La Palma or Cape Town?
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.
How much does it cost to live in Santa Cruz de La Palma compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 1%.
How expensive is transport in Santa Cruz de La Palma compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 83% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Santa Cruz de La Palma or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Santa Cruz de La Palma at $1,622. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de La Palma it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Santa Cruz de La Palma or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Santa Cruz de La Palma compared to Cape Town?
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.
Should I move to Santa Cruz de La Palma or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz de La Palma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Santa Cruz de La Palma vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?