Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Palmas vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palmas $830
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,281 per month in Palmas vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palmas $1,281
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,733 per month in Palmas vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Palmas $1,733
Cape Town $3,306

Palmas is about 46% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Palmas sits 39% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.01

$12.01 R 198

-68.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.86 R$120

$42.92 R 707

-49.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R$40.64

$6.15 R 101

20.49%

Cappuccino

$1.73 R$9.48

$2.37 R 39.04

-27.00%

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

$1.63 R$8.96

$1.27 R 20.96

28.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$0.94 R 15.46

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.99

$2.96 R 48.77

-50.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.91

$3.69 R 60.8

-26.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.60

$1.32 R 21.73

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R$7.36

$1.21 R 19.87

10.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 R$15.14

$2.20 R 36.26

25.45%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.24

$3.10 R 51.1

-22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 R$36.35

$8.73 R 144

-24.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$6.89 R 114

-57.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$31.57

$9.26 R 153

-37.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.96

$1.83 R 30.08

19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.57

$1.95 R 32.12

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$1.66 R 27.32

-31.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.93

$2.14 R 35.19

-49.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.51

$1.58 R 26.01

-24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.47 R 24.29

-29.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.13

$1.35 R 22.18

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.90

$1.14 R 18.85

-37.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$11.30

$3.58 R 59.0

-42.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 R$35.24

$6.05 R 99.7

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.39 R 22.95

-10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$11.02

$2.18 R 35.90

-7.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 R$4.09

$1.40 R 23.02

-47.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 R$229

$60.8 R 1,001

-31.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$7.14

$0.93 R 15.26

39.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.82

$0.90 R 14.83

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 R$34.34

$4.96 R 81.7

26.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$6.08

$1.54 R 25.37

-27.92%

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

$19.7K R$108.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-44.36%

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

$30.8K R$169.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-7.56%

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

$106 R$581

$117 R 1,929

-9.60%

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

$10.92 R$59.9

$25.71 R 424

-57.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 R$102

$39.41 R 649

-53.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.99 R$121

$51.6 R 850

-57.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$11.35 R 187

130.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$33.61

$8.89 R 146

-31.05%

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

$142 R$778

$308 R 5,069

-53.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,428 R$35.3K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-21.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.94 R$186

$57.4 R 946

-40.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.29 R$270

$31.75 R 523

55.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 R$582

$116 R 1,911

-8.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$367

$101 R 1,660

-33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 R$1,696

$1,047 R 17.2K

-70.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,276

$669 R 11.0K

-65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,353

$1,861 R 30.7K

-67.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 R$2,531

$1,407 R 23.2K

-67.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 R$8,867

$2,410 R 39.7K

-32.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 R$6,255

$1,570 R 25.9K

-27.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

1.01%

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

Last update for Palmas: 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

Palmas

$233 28%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 188% $437

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$167 20.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 34% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$135 16.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 34.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$115 13.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 19.3% $22

Eating Out

Palmas

$96 11.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 81.1% $78

Getting Around

Palmas

$49 6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 45% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$34 4.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 103% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Palmas 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Palmas versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $223 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

14:50 2:50 PM

5 h ahead of Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palmas Cape Town 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

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

Cape Town costs about 84% more than Palmas, 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 $1,244 per month in Palmas 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 Palmas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $830 in Palmas and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Palmas about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Palmas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palmas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Palmas is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.