Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,576 in Pula, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Pula despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Pula

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,576 in Pula, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Pula $1,576

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,505 in Pula, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Pula $2,505

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,434 in Pula, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Pula $3,434

Cape Town is about 3% cheaper than Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Pula sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Pula by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$14.34 €12.78

-16.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$66.0 €58.8

-34.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.97 €7.99

-31.44%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.51 €2.24

-5.58%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.93 €2.61

-56.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$2.09 €1.86

-55.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$3.26 €2.91

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$4.44 €3.96

-16.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.18 €1.05

11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.81 €1.61

-33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.11 €2.77

-29.26%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.81 €3.39

-18.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$10.79 €9.61

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$10.90 €9.71

-36.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$18.40 €16.39

-49.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.97 €1.76

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.86 €1.66

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.19 €1.95

-24.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$2.62 €2.33

-18.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.31 €1.16

20.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.30 €1.16

13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.34 €1.19

0.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.25 €1.12

-8.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$5.49 €4.89

-34.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$7.79 €6.94

-22.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.93 €1.72

-27.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.44 €2.17

-10.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$2.26 €2.01

-38.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$33.42 €29.77

81.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$3.27 €2.91

-71.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$2.31 €2.05

-61.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$22.40 €19.95

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.87 €1.67

-17.65%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$26.3K €23.5K

34.27%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$25.8K €23.0K

29.50%

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

$117 R 1,918

$154 €137

-23.98%

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

$25.71 R 421

$22.19 €19.77

15.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$39.85 €35.50

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$53.3 €47.51

-3.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$37.69 €33.58

-69.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$10.68 €9.51

-16.76%

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

$308 R 5,040

$240 €214

28.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$2,771 €2,468

193.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$115 €102

-50.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$36.40 €32.42

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$141 €125

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$129 €115

-21.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$684 €609

52.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$522 €465

28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,298 €1,156

43.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,003 €893

40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$4,255 €3,790

-43.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$3,548 €3,161

-55.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,479 €1,317

10.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.72

192.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pula: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Pula

$522 33.1% 22% $147

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Pula

$300 19% 34.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Pula

$216 13.7% 18.6% $34

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Pula

$217 13.8% 24.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Pula

$189 12% 37.6% $52

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Pula

$57 3.6% 20.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Pula

$75 4.7% 7.6% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $684 in Pula. 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 10% higher in Cape Town, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $66 in Pula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $300 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

52,220

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Pula 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Pula

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

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

Pula costs about 3% 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,364 in Pula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $684 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,576 in Pula. That makes Cape Town about 3% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Pula. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,576 in Pula. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,576 in Pula. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.