Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,376 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,376

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,376 per month in Palma de Mallorca vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palma de Mallorca $2,376
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,476 per month in Palma de Mallorca vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palma de Mallorca $3,476
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,575 per month in Palma de Mallorca vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palma de Mallorca $4,575
Cape Town $3,306

Palma de Mallorca costs about 56% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palma de Mallorca and Cape Town sit above the global median – Palma de Mallorca by 76%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.36 €16.43

$12.01 R 199

52.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.2

$42.92 R 709

59.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.65 €12.22

$6.15 R 102

121.95%

Cappuccino

$2.98 €2.67

$2.37 R 39.16

25.74%

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

$2.67 €2.38

$1.27 R 21.03

110.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.45

$0.94 R 15.50

190.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.06

$2.96 R 48.92

53.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.55

$3.69 R 61.0

7.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.32 R 21.80

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.21 R 19.93

-4.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.20 R 36.37

-25.45%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.10 R 51.3

10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.60 €13.07

$8.73 R 144

67.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 €7.68

$6.89 R 114

24.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 €14.45

$9.26 R 153

74.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.83 R 30.17

39.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.95 R 32.22

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.66 R 27.40

3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.14 R 35.30

33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.58 R 26.09

26.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.47 R 24.37

46.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.35 R 22.25

-5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.14 R 18.91

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €6.01

$3.58 R 59.1

87.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.95

$6.05 R 100

-8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.39 R 23.02

-5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.18 R 36.01

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.40 R 23.09

55.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.45 €37.09

$60.8 R 1,004

-31.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.72

$0.93 R 15.31

226.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.90 R 14.88

51.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.60 €19.33

$4.96 R 82.0

335.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.54 R 25.45

19.48%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-8.52%

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

$32.4K €29.0K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-2.97%

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

$247 €221

$117 R 1,935

111.05%

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

$23.27 €20.82

$25.71 R 425

-9.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.01 €37.59

$39.41 R 651

6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 €52.6

$51.6 R 853

13.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.86 €24.93

$11.35 R 188

145.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.65

$8.89 R 147

8.66%

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

$606 €542

$308 R 5,085

96.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.8K

$8,141 R 134.6K

76.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 €64.1

$57.4 R 948

24.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 €48.15

$31.75 R 525

69.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 €88.8

$116 R 1,917

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$101 R 1,665

28.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 €1,483

$1,047 R 17.3K

58.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,091

$669 R 11.1K

82.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 €2,362

$1,861 R 30.8K

41.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,033 €1,819

$1,407 R 23.3K

44.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,285 €6,518

$2,410 R 39.8K

202.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,337 €3,881

$1,570 R 25.9K

176.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,994 €1,785

$1,630 R 26.9K

22.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.07

10.89

-71.81%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palma de Mallorca

$1.2K 51.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 45.1% $551

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma de Mallorca

$312 13.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 41.7% $130

Eating Out

Palma de Mallorca

$276 11.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 36.9% $102

Groceries & Markets

Palma de Mallorca

$271 11.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 17.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Palma de Mallorca

$160 6.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 13.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Palma de Mallorca

$78 3.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 11.2% $8.7

Getting Around

Palma de Mallorca

$60 2.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 19.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,658 in Palma de Mallorca 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 22% higher in Palma de Mallorca, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Palma de Mallorca versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h ahead of Palma de Mallorca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,350

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palma de Mallorca Cape Town 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Palma de Mallorca
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

Palma de Mallorca vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palma de Mallorca costs about 56% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,565 per month in Palma de Mallorca 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,658 in Palma de Mallorca.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,376 in Palma de Mallorca and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Palma de Mallorca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,376 in Palma de Mallorca 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 $2,376 in Palma de Mallorca. 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, Palma de Mallorca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.