Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,209 a month against $1,754 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in South Africa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Spain and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Spain vs $1,209 in South Africa, rent included.

Spain $1,754
South Africa $1,209

A couple spends around $2,570 per month in Spain vs $1,900 in South Africa, rent included.

Spain $2,570
South Africa $1,900

A family of three spends $3,386 per month in Spain vs $2,590 in South Africa, rent included.

Spain $3,386
South Africa $2,590

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($928–$2,590) than in South Africa ($625–$1,586), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain is about 45% higher than in South Africa on average.

Spain sits 30% above the global median, while South Africa is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$10.95 R 180

51.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$42.96 R 708

31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$5.76 R 94.9

95.14%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.07

$2.38 R 39.20

-2.52%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$1.16 R 19.15

121.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.87 R 14.33

113.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.44 R 40.21

36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$2.98 R 49.14

34.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.18 R 19.38

2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.11 R 18.30

38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.74 R 28.71

-6.32%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$2.49 R 40.95

32.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$8.50 R 140

68.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.60

$5.16 R 85.0

65.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €14.31

$7.50 R 124

114.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.88 R 31.00

30.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.68 R 27.71

20.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.78 R 29.39

16.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.83 R 30.21

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.49 R 24.51

19.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$1.50 R 24.77

34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.27 R 20.99

1.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.10 R 18.09

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.71

$3.27 R 53.9

96.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$5.03 R 82.9

13.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.52 R 25.10

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.95 R 32.16

2.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.58 R 26.08

7.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.97 €30.22

$61.4 R 1,011

-44.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.07

$1.11 R 18.34

312.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.95 R 15.64

55.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.59 €21.87

$7.46 R 123

229.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.46 R 23.98

19.18%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$35.4K R 583.7K

-1.60%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$30.9K R 509.0K

-3.93%

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

$147 €131

$134 R 2,201

9.95%

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

$17.90 €15.92

$34.44 R 567

-48.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.76

$40.37 R 665

-22.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$34.11 R 562

30.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.35

$11.59 R 191

29.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.22

$7.17 R 118

28.87%

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

$529 €470

$227 R 3,746

132.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,212

$5,487 R 90.4K

88.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$53.7 R 885

57.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$33.60 R 554

9.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.7

$99.9 R 1,645

-10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.8

$87.4 R 1,440

22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 €879

$482 R 7,943

105.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$399 R 6,568

98.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$935 R 15.4K

68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 €1,064

$818 R 13.5K

46.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 €3,610

$1,096 R 18.1K

270.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 €2,326

$785 R 12.9K

233.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,923 €1,711

$1,515 R 25.0K

26.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.23

-70.61%

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

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$791 45.1%

South Africa

$399 33% 49.6% $392

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.5%

South Africa

$197 16.3% 27.6% $75

Eating Out

Spain

$237 13.5%

South Africa

$160 13.2% 32.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 11.2%

South Africa

$208 17.2% 6.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8.2%

South Africa

$124 10.2% 13.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$63 3.6%

South Africa

$48 4% 23.2% $15

Getting Around

Spain

$53 3%

South Africa

$74 6.1% 39.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $908 in Spain vs $421 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,506 in Madrid and $1,021 in Cape Town.

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $1,487 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 116% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 50% more in Spain.

Public transport is 71% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 33% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

Same time as Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

62,027,503

💱 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 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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spain South Africa 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
South Africa

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

Spain vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 45% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $908 versus $421 in South Africa.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in South Africa, adding to the overall 45% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Africa, but in Spain it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.