Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Spain is 38.4% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 65.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Spain is 42.6% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 53.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.02 €13.83
$9.05 R 161
77.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.6 €49.75
$38.84 R 691
48.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.6 €9.15
$4.9 R 87.1
116.33%
Cappuccino
$2.39 €2.06
$1.98 R 35.28
20.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.6 €2.24
$0.96 R 17.06
170.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.65
$0.75 R 13.31
154.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €2.97
$2.18 R 38.72
57.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 €3.55
$2.54 R 45.1
61.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.02
$1.1 R 19.58
7.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 €1.32
$1.03 R 18.32
48.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 €1.39
$1.56 R 27.71
3.21%
Eggs
$3.1 €2.68
$2.25 R 39.93
37.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.26 €12.32
$7.67 R 136
85.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.6 €7.42
$4.62 R 82.2
86.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.7 €13.56
$6.86 R 122
128.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.12
$1.58 R 28.02
55.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 €1.78
$1.42 R 25.3
45.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 €1.75
$1.44 R 25.58
40.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.65 €2.29
$1.49 R 26.5
77.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.58
$1.25 R 22.16
46.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 €1.69
$1.34 R 23.81
46.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.17
$1.09 R 19.31
24.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 €0.64
$0.96 R 17.15
-22.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.43 €5.55
$2.9 R 51.6
121.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.72 €4.94
$5.07 R 90.3
12.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 €1.14
$1.38 R 24.49
-4.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.8
$1.68 R 29.79
23.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 €1.54
$1.71 R 30.47
4.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.46 €29.75
$45.01 R 801
-23.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 €3.94
$1.1 R 19.61
314.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.09 R 19.41
22.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.41 €22.8
$4.8 R 85.3
450.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 €1.58
$1.31 R 23.23
39.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K €33.9K
$21K R 374.2K
86.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K €27K
$23.7K R 421.3K
31.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 €128
$113 R 2,009
31.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.46 €17.67
$33.11 R 589
-38.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.3 €28.75
$41.49 R 738
-19.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.32 €40.85
$31.69 R 564
49.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.64 €13.5
$9.45 R 168
65.50%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 €8.22
$6.7 R 119
42.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$522 €451
$186 R 3,303
181.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,960 €8,600
$4,336 R 77.1K
129.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.2 €75.3
$48.56 R 864
79.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.22 €32.13
$30.74 R 547
21.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 €79
$92 R 1,636
-0.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 €93
$79.6 R 1,415
35.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,050 €907
$442 R 7,860
137.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$812 €701
$370 R 6,579
119.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,692 €1,460
$880 R 15.7K
92.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 €1,069
$724 R 12.9K
71.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,233 €3,655
$1,021 R 18.2K
314.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,725 €2,353
$803 R 14.3K
239.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,998 €1,725
$1,406 R 25K
42.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.51
11.55
-69.61%

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

Last update for Spain: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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