Cape Town vs Porto: cost of living for digital nomads

Cape Town, South Africa and Porto, Portugal, line by line from the catalogue: what a month costs, rent, food, coworking, safety and internet. Every figure links back to its source on the city page.

The short version

  • Cape Town is about 16% cheaper than Porto for a month of nomad living ($1,600 vs $1,900).
  • Rent is the biggest gap: $720 in Cape Town against $950 in Porto.
  • Porto scores higher on safety (9/10 vs 6/10).
  • Internet is faster in Porto: 120 Mbps typical against 80 Mbps.
  • Both have a mediterranean climate.

Cape Town wins 3 of the measured lines; Porto wins 3.

LineCape TownPorto
Monthly total (USD)$1,600$1,900
Rent$720$950
Food$430$450
Transport$60$40
Coworking$130$130
Safety (out of 10)6/109/10
Internet (Mbps)80120
Climatemediterraneanmediterranean
City sizemetrometro
Settingcoastcoast
Nomad score (out of 10)9/109/10

Compare Cape Town with

Compare Porto with

Costs are typical monthly figures for one person in USD, from the sources named on each city page; safety and internet are the catalogue's own ratings. Check the city pages for the dates each was last verified.