Cost of Living · ZA vs ES
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,382 in Spain — 65.89% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 17.91%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 18.13%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 18.14%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +79.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +79.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +79.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $931 (860 EUR) | +79.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $745 (688 EUR) | +79.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | +79.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | +58.15% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | +58.14% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | +51.73% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | +40% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | +39.37% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | +39.41% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | +39.4% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | +39.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | +39.58% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | +39.73% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | +39% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | +58.01% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | +18.23% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | +57.51% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | +39.13% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | +51.68% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | +50.86% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | +58.44% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | +59.42% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | +17.91% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $127 (118 EUR) | +51.67% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | +51.67% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | +51.69% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | +58.1% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | +58.07% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | +58.18% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | +18.14% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | +18.13% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $152 (141 EUR) | +58.11% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Spain than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $833 in South Africa — 65.89% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $520/month in South Africa (+79.16%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.