Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pamplona and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,927 in Pamplona, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Pamplona
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Pamplona Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Pamplona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,927

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,927 per month in Pamplona vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pamplona $1,927
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,726 per month in Pamplona vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pamplona $2,726
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,525 per month in Pamplona vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pamplona $3,525
Cape Town $3,306

Pamplona costs about 26% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pamplona and Cape Town sit above the global median – Pamplona by 43%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.01

$12.01 R 198

49.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.3

$42.92 R 707

57.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.16

$6.15 R 101

122.11%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$2.37 R 39.04

20.68%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.27 R 20.96

129.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$0.94 R 15.46

120.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.96 R 48.77

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €3.97

$3.69 R 60.8

20.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.32 R 21.73

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.21 R 19.87

91.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.20 R 36.26

-25.91%

Eggs

$2.95 €2.63

$3.10 R 51.1

-4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 €14.48

$8.73 R 144

86.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 €7.15

$6.89 R 114

16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.88 €18.59

$9.26 R 153

125.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.83 R 30.08

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.95 R 32.12

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.66 R 27.32

36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.14 R 35.19

27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.58 R 26.01

8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.47 R 24.29

15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.35 R 22.18

-20.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.14 R 18.85

34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$3.58 R 59.0

90.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.83

$6.05 R 99.7

-10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.39 R 22.95

22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.20

$2.18 R 35.90

64.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.40 R 23.02

26.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 €47.16

$60.8 R 1,001

-12.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 €2.91

$0.93 R 15.26

250.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 €44.69

$4.96 R 81.7

911.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.54 R 25.37

16.23%

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

$36.7K €32.7K

$35.4K R 582.8K

3.85%

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

$29.6K €26.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-11.42%

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

$176 €156

$117 R 1,929

50.06%

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

$14.12 €12.57

$25.71 R 424

-45.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.19 €38.45

$39.41 R 649

9.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.03 €38.31

$51.6 R 850

-16.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.97 €14.22

$11.35 R 187

40.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.85

$8.89 R 146

11.81%

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

$358 €319

$308 R 5,069

16.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 €67.4

$57.4 R 946

31.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.74 €30.05

$31.75 R 523

6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 €66.2

$116 R 1,911

-35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$101 R 1,660

12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 €858

$1,047 R 17.2K

-7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 €763

$669 R 11.0K

28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 €1,295

$1,861 R 30.7K

-21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €979

$1,407 R 23.2K

-21.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,684 €3,280

$2,410 R 39.7K

52.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,942 €2,620

$1,570 R 25.9K

87.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,101 €1,870

$1,630 R 26.9K

28.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

10.89

-60.51%

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

Last update for Pamplona: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pamplona

$857 44.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 22% $188

Groceries & Markets

Pamplona

$312 16.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 28.5% $89

Eating Out

Pamplona

$265 13.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pamplona

$233 12.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 21.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Pamplona

$134 6.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 3% $4

Getting Around

Pamplona

$63 * 3.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 13.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Pamplona

$63 3.3%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 10.3% $6.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $964 in Pamplona 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 29% higher in Pamplona. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Pamplona versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pamplona

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h ahead of Pamplona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

205,762

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 = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Pamplona
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

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

Pamplona costs about 26% 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 $2,890 per month in Pamplona and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $964 in Pamplona and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,927 in Pamplona and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 21% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Pamplona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,927 in Pamplona 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 $1,927 in Pamplona. 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, Pamplona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.