Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nimes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,777 in Nimes, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Nimes
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Nimes Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Nimes

🇫🇷 France

$1,777

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,777 per month in Nimes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nimes $1,777
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,985 per month in Nimes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nimes $2,985
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,194 per month in Nimes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nimes $4,194
Cape Town $3,306

Nimes costs about 16% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nimes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Nimes by 31%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.96

$12.01 R 198

39.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.94

$42.92 R 707

28.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.51 €11.14

$6.15 R 101

103.41%

Cappuccino

$3.42 €3.04

$2.37 R 39.04

44.30%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$1.27 R 20.96

77.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.94 R 15.46

17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 €6.11

$2.96 R 48.77

131.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.69 R 60.8

48.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.32 R 21.73

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.21 R 19.87

25.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.20 R 36.26

12.73%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.56

$3.10 R 51.1

29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.65

$8.73 R 144

49.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.75

$6.89 R 114

58.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.35 €21.68

$9.26 R 153

162.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.83 R 30.08

45.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.95 R 32.12

10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.66 R 27.32

63.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 €4.47

$2.14 R 35.19

134.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.58 R 26.01

62.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.47 R 24.29

62.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 R 22.18

1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.14 R 18.85

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 €12.29

$3.58 R 59.0

285.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$6.05 R 99.7

-8.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.39 R 22.95

140.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.18 R 35.90

32.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.40 R 23.02

26.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 €35.75

$60.8 R 1,001

-33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.15

$0.93 R 15.26

279.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.90 R 14.83

56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.74 €32.71

$4.96 R 81.7

640.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.54 R 25.37

33.12%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-29.57%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-2.08%

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

$203 €181

$117 R 1,929

73.32%

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

$28.09 €25.01

$25.71 R 424

9.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.65 €30.85

$39.41 R 649

-12.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.12 €36.61

$51.6 R 850

-20.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.10 €9.88

$11.35 R 187

-2.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.10

$8.89 R 146

52.87%

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

$618 €550

$308 R 5,069

100.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,210 €6,420

$8,141 R 134.2K

-11.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.1

$57.4 R 946

50.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 €35.18

$31.75 R 523

24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 €80.9

$116 R 1,911

-21.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$101 R 1,660

45.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 €657

$1,047 R 17.2K

-29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 €533

$669 R 11.0K

-10.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,276

$1,861 R 30.7K

-22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 €1,445

$1,407 R 23.2K

15.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,417 €3,042

$2,410 R 39.7K

41.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 €2,095

$1,570 R 25.9K

49.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,315 €2,061

$1,630 R 26.9K

42.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

10.89

-66.39%

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

Last update for Nimes: 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

Nimes

$598 33.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 11.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Nimes

$351 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 36.4% $128

Eating Out

Nimes

$272 15.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 35.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nimes

$266 15%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 31.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nimes

$164 9.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 15.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nimes

$68 3.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 1.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Nimes

$58 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 24.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $738 in Nimes 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 42% higher in Nimes. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Nimes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nimes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

1 h ahead of Nimes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,104

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 →

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Between locations

Nimes Cape Town 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nimes
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

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

Nimes costs about 16% 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 $2,665 per month in Nimes 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 Nimes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $738 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,777 in Nimes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Nimes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,777 in Nimes 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,777 in Nimes. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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