Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Sintra and in Cape Town: $1,592 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
Learn more

Sintra Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,592 per month in Sintra vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sintra $1,592
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,317 per month in Sintra vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sintra $2,317
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,041 per month in Sintra vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sintra $3,041
Cape Town $3,263

Sintra and Cape Town have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sintra and Cape Town sit above the global median – Sintra by 18%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.61

$12.14 R 200

7.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.24

$45.34 R 747

22.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 €7.87

$5.88 R 96.9

50.34%

Cappuccino

$1.28 €1.14

$2.50 R 41.18

-48.80%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$1.27 R 20.94

21.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$0.98 R 16.14

23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.89

$2.99 R 49.33

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.72 R 61.4

-26.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.30 R 21.40

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 R 20.68

0.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.23 R 36.76

-40.81%

Eggs

$2.60 €2.31

$3.11 R 51.2

-16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 €8.13

$9.06 R 149

0.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 €6.15

$6.92 R 114

-0.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$9.30 R 153

19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.84 R 30.25

-0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.96 R 32.29

-37.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.67 R 27.45

-19.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.17 R 35.70

3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.57 R 25.81

-20.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.48 R 24.45

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.30 R 21.41

22.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.13 R 18.60

-44.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$3.60 R 59.3

73.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$6.15 R 101

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.38 R 22.66

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$2.14 R 35.20

-34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.50 R 24.65

46.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.11

$60.8 R 1,001

-31.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$0.59 R 9.71

520.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 €0.44

$1.50 R 24.65

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.24 €14.45

$5.11 R 84.2

217.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.55 R 25.50

33.55%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-5.64%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$31.2K R 514.8K

22.11%

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

$129 €115

$114 R 1,883

12.68%

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

$21.92 €19.50

$28.91 R 476

-24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 €40.30

$39.73 R 654

14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 €36.62

$49.01 R 808

-16.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 €13.81

$10.99 R 181

41.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.91

$9.15 R 151

-2.84%

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

$604 €538

$259 R 4,264

133.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,207 €5,522

$6,794 R 111.9K

-8.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 €66.3

$56.2 R 926

32.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 €40.07

$32.41 R 534

38.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$121 R 1,987

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 €43.82

$108 R 1,781

-54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 €869

$1,021 R 16.8K

-4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 €688

$717 R 11.8K

7.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,379

$1,824 R 30.1K

-14.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,043

$1,327 R 21.9K

-11.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 €2,698

$2,391 R 39.4K

26.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 €1,989

$1,542 R 25.4K

45.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,347 €1,198

$1,639 R 27.0K

-17.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

10.97

-67.73%

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

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sintra

$774 48.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 7.3% $57

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 10.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$196 12.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 6.7% $13

Eating Out

Sintra

$179 11.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 1.6% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$59 3.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 14.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Sintra

$57 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 32.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Sintra 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 22% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Sintra versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Sintra vs $225 in Cape Town – so Sintra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h ahead of Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sintra Cape Town 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sintra
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,389 per month in Sintra 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Sintra – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $604 per month in Sintra and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Sintra at $1,592. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sintra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,592 in Sintra. 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, Sintra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.