Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Learn more

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,920

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,920 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $1,920
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,849 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,849
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,777 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,777
Cape Town $3,307

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 22% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cape Town sit above the global median – Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 43%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.06 €17.88

$11.78 R 195

70.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.2

$46.55 R 772

32.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.17

$5.96 R 98.9

91.28%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$2.47 R 41.01

-19.03%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$1.33 R 22.03

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.03 R 17.08

26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.56

$3.01 R 49.98

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.66 R 60.8

-9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 R 23.08

-1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.19 R 19.70

107.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.11 R 35.02

-24.64%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$3.01 R 49.84

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.69 €17.55

$8.96 R 149

119.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.83

$6.65 R 110

48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.92 €15.98

$9.29 R 154

92.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.83 R 30.28

51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.90 R 31.47

26.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.75 R 28.98

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.09 R 34.59

20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.55 R 25.78

37.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.49 R 24.65

32.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.30 R 21.53

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.16 R 19.29

-21.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.09

$3.71 R 61.5

53.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.84

$6.06 R 101

26.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.39 R 22.97

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.20 R 36.51

-20.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.51 R 25.11

-8.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 €37.67

$61.0 R 1,011

-30.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 €3.66

$0.63 R 10.38

552.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.53 R 25.42

13.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.09

$4.81 R 79.8

251.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.58 R 26.22

10.13%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-2.07%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$31.7K R 526.6K

-7.27%

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

$127 €113

$116 R 1,930

8.99%

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

$23.02 €20.52

$28.37 R 471

-18.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.10 €31.29

$40.69 R 675

-13.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.63

$48.85 R 810

11.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 €10.27

$11.13 R 185

3.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €9.00

$8.83 R 146

14.27%

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

$405 €361

$261 R 4,336

55.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 €4,472

$6,702 R 111.2K

-25.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.3 €84.1

$55.4 R 919

70.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.88 €37.34

$32.27 R 535

29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €81.9

$118 R 1,949

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.2

$107 R 1,775

3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,015

$1,015 R 16.8K

12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 €786

$715 R 11.9K

23.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 €1,521

$1,801 R 29.9K

-5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 €1,119

$1,330 R 22.1K

-5.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,834 €3,418

$2,331 R 38.7K

64.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,170 €1,934

$1,513 R 25.1K

43.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,864 €1,662

$1,636 R 27.1K

13.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

10.97

-67.55%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$882 45.6%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 18.9% $167

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$329 17%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 32.4% $107

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$252 13%

Cape Town

$174 11% 31.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$185 9.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$153 7.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$75 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 11% $8.2

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$61 3.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 24.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $1,015 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 14% higher in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 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 $62.0 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,395

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cape Town 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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 Tenerife vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 22% 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 $2,880 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $2,352 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 $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 44% 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 $1,568, than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at $1,920. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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, Santa Cruz de Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.