Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,744 in Zaragoza, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,744

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,744 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,744
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,523 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zaragoza $2,523
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,302 per month in Zaragoza vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zaragoza $3,302
Cape Town $3,306

Zaragoza costs about 14% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zaragoza and Cape Town sit above the global median – Zaragoza by 29%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.93

$12.01 R 197

39.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.43

$42.92 R 703

29.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.10

$6.15 R 101

84.39%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.37 R 38.81

-10.13%

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

$2.41 €2.14

$1.27 R 20.84

89.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.94 R 15.37

62.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.96 R 48.48

16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.69 R 60.5

-9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.32 R 21.61

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.21 R 19.75

62.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.20 R 36.05

-32.27%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$3.10 R 50.8

-6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.67 €14.85

$8.73 R 143

90.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 €7.90

$6.89 R 113

28.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.80

$9.26 R 152

127.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.83 R 29.90

44.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.95 R 31.94

29.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.66 R 27.16

49.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.14 R 34.99

46.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.58 R 25.86

24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.47 R 24.15

55.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.35 R 22.05

37.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$1.14 R 18.75

-39.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.41

$3.58 R 58.6

69.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$6.05 R 99.2

-27.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.39 R 22.82

-28.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.18 R 35.69

51.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.40 R 22.88

37.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.03 €29.42

$60.8 R 995

-45.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.93 R 15.18

155.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.90 R 14.75

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.64 €26.41

$4.96 R 81.3

497.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.54 R 25.23

16.88%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

0.82%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-3.36%

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

$159 €142

$117 R 1,918

36.20%

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

$11.26 €10.03

$25.71 R 421

-56.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.41 €19.07

$39.41 R 646

-45.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.79 €29.21

$51.6 R 846

-36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.79 €13.18

$11.35 R 186

30.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.19

$8.89 R 146

3.49%

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

$505 €450

$308 R 5,040

64.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,247 €8,237

$8,141 R 133.4K

13.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €81.5

$57.4 R 940

59.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.67 €35.34

$31.75 R 520

24.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 €86.8

$116 R 1,900

-15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.9

$101 R 1,650

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 €803

$1,047 R 17.1K

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 €677

$669 R 11.0K

13.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 €1,133

$1,861 R 30.5K

-31.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 €938

$1,407 R 23.1K

-25.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,273 €2,916

$2,410 R 39.5K

35.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 €1,760

$1,570 R 25.7K

25.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,078 €1,851

$1,630 R 26.7K

27.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

10.89

-68.23%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

$760 43.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 11.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$307 17.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 27.3% $84

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$233 13.4%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 25.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$192 11%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 5.2% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$152 8.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$51 2.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 35.6% $18

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$48 2.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 48.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Zaragoza 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 27% higher in Zaragoza. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Zaragoza versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

1 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,513

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaragoza Cape Town 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

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

Zaragoza costs about 14% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,616 per month in Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $901 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,744 in Zaragoza and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Zaragoza. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,744 in Zaragoza and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,744 in Zaragoza. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zaragoza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.