Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torrevieja and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Torrevieja: $1,417 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Torrevieja
Learn more

Torrevieja Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,417

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,417 per month in Torrevieja vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torrevieja $1,417
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,048 per month in Torrevieja vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torrevieja $2,048
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,679 per month in Torrevieja vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torrevieja $2,679
Cape Town $3,306

Torrevieja is about 7% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Torrevieja and Cape Town sit above the global median – Torrevieja by 5%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.20 €13.54

$12.01 R 198

26.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.25 €39.40

$42.92 R 707

3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 €9.04

$6.15 R 101

65.04%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.01

$2.37 R 39.04

-5.06%

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

$2.13 €1.89

$1.27 R 20.96

67.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.94 R 15.46

95.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.96 R 48.77

14.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.69 R 60.8

-23.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.32 R 21.73

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.21 R 19.87

11.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.20 R 36.26

-34.55%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.82

$3.10 R 51.1

2.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 €12.79

$8.73 R 144

64.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.60 €6.77

$6.89 R 114

10.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 €18.87

$9.26 R 153

128.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.83 R 30.08

9.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.95 R 32.12

-17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.66 R 27.32

-19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.14 R 35.19

-7.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.58 R 26.01

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.47 R 24.29

-19.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.35 R 22.18

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 €0.40

$1.14 R 18.85

-60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 €5.37

$3.58 R 59.0

68.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$6.05 R 99.7

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.39 R 22.95

-35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.18 R 35.90

-37.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.40 R 23.02

26.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 €29.82

$4.96 R 81.7

575.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.54 R 25.37

12.99%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-0.59%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-12.81%

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

$113 €101

$117 R 1,929

-3.42%

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

$8.88 €7.90

$25.71 R 424

-65.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.83 €21.22

$39.41 R 649

-39.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 €33.53

$51.6 R 850

-27.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.99 €4.44

$11.35 R 187

-56.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.94

$8.89 R 146

0.22%

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

$503 €448

$308 R 5,069

63.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$8,141 R 134.2K

118.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.81 €34.56

$57.4 R 946

-32.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.50 €29.83

$31.75 R 523

5.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 €60.1

$116 R 1,911

-41.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 €60.0

$101 R 1,660

-33.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,047 R 17.2K

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 €572

$669 R 11.0K

-4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 €1,084

$1,861 R 30.7K

-34.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 €806

$1,407 R 23.2K

-35.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,954 €2,630

$2,410 R 39.7K

22.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,685 €2,390

$1,570 R 25.9K

71.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,918 €1,707

$1,630 R 26.9K

17.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

10.89

-73.37%

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

Last update for Torrevieja: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Torrevieja

$642 45.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 4.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Torrevieja

$256 18%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 12.7% $32

Eating Out

Torrevieja

$218 15.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 20% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Torrevieja

$146 10.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 25% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Torrevieja

$93 6.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 47.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Torrevieja

$55 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 25.1% $14

Getting Around

Torrevieja

$7.1 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 916% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $736 in Torrevieja versus $1,047 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 18% higher in Torrevieja, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Torrevieja versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Torrevieja

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h ahead of Torrevieja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,290

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 = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Torrevieja Cape Town 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Torrevieja
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

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

Cape Town costs about 8% more than Torrevieja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,126 per month in Torrevieja and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Torrevieja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $736 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,417 in Torrevieja and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Torrevieja about 7% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,417 in Torrevieja and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,417 in Torrevieja to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.