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

😐 Solo nomad: Spain is 41.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 66% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Spain is 41.9% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 50.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.00 €13.57
$8.71 R 142
83.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.2 €48.48
$39.43 R 643
44.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.51 €8.91
$5.16 R 84.1
103.68%
Cappuccino
$2.37 €2.01
$2.03 R 33.09
16.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 €2.12
$1.03 R 16.83
142.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 €1.55
$0.79 R 12.83
130.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.55 €3.01
$2.30 R 37.53
54.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 €3.50
$2.55 R 41.59
61.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 €1.01
$1.11 R 18.16
7.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 €1.30
$1.04 R 16.92
47.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 €1.41
$1.54 R 25.17
7.79%
Eggs
$2.94 €2.49
$2.24 R 36.56
31.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.09 €11.95
$7.86 R 128
79.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.28 €7.02
$4.73 R 77.2
75.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.73 €13.34
$6.65 R 108
136.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.08
$1.51 R 24.66
62.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 €1.74
$1.41 R 22.93
45.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 €1.72
$1.49 R 24.31
36.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.64 €2.24
$1.56 R 25.47
69.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 €1.52
$1.19 R 19.47
51.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 €1.62
$1.30 R 21.13
46.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.11
$1.04 R 16.99
25.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 €0.63
$0.96 R 15.69
-22.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.48 €5.50
$2.92 R 47.67
121.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.85 €4.96
$4.80 R 78.3
21.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 €1.06
$1.33 R 21.75
-6.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.83
$1.72 R 28.08
25.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 €1.52
$1.70 R 27.72
5.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.82 €29.52
$45.20 R 737
-22.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.63 €3.93
$1.09 R 17.81
324.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 €1.13
$1.05 R 17.13
26.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.77 €22.70
$4.73 R 77.1
465.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.54
$1.29 R 21.10
41.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K €32.5K
$21.1K R 343.2K
81.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K €26.0K
$23.6K R 384.2K
29.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 €127
$112 R 1,818
34.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.68 €17.54
$31.97 R 521
-35.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.45 €28.36
$40.41 R 659
-17.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.46 €40.25
$31.85 R 519
49.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.83 €13.42
$9.68 R 158
63.53%
Cinema Ticket
$9.14 €7.75
$6.64 R 108
37.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$523 €443
$190 R 3,100
174.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K €8,523
$4,317 R 70.4K
132.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.3 €74.0
$48.50 R 791
79.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.21 €31.56
$30.47 R 497
22.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.0 €75.5
$94.3 R 1,536
-5.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 €91.1
$81.4 R 1,327
31.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,068 €905
$453 R 7,380
135.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$840 €712
$371 R 6,047
126.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,663 €1,410
$881 R 14.4K
88.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 €1,063
$705 R 11.5K
77.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,528 €3,840
$1,147 R 18.7K
294.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,699 €2,289
$818 R 13.3K
230.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,117 €1,795
$1,476 R 24.1K
43.39%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: April 12, 2026

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

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