Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pula and Cape Town

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,576

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Pula $1,576
Cape Town $1,527

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

Pula $2,505
Cape Town $2,417

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

Pula $3,434
Cape Town $3,306

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.34 €12.78

$12.01 R 197

19.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$42.92 R 703

53.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 €7.99

$6.15 R 101

45.85%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.24

$2.37 R 38.81

5.91%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$1.27 R 20.84

130.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.94 R 15.37

122.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.91

$2.96 R 48.48

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.96

$3.69 R 60.5

20.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.32 R 21.61

-10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.21 R 19.75

49.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.20 R 36.05

41.36%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$3.10 R 50.8

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 €9.61

$8.73 R 143

23.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 €9.71

$6.89 R 113

58.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 €16.39

$9.26 R 152

98.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.83 R 29.90

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.95 R 31.94

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.66 R 27.16

31.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.14 R 34.99

22.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.58 R 25.86

-17.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 R 24.15

-11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.35 R 22.05

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.14 R 18.75

9.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.58 R 58.6

53.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 €6.94

$6.05 R 99.2

28.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.39 R 22.82

38.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.18 R 35.69

11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.40 R 22.88

61.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.42 €29.77

$60.8 R 995

-44.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 €2.91

$0.93 R 15.18

251.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.90 R 14.75

156.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.40 €19.95

$4.96 R 81.3

351.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.54 R 25.23

21.43%

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

$26.3K €23.5K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-25.52%

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

$25.8K €23.0K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-22.78%

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

$154 €137

$117 R 1,918

31.55%

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

$22.19 €19.77

$25.71 R 421

-13.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.85 €35.50

$39.41 R 646

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.51

$51.6 R 846

3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.69 €33.58

$11.35 R 186

232.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 €9.51

$8.89 R 146

20.13%

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

$240 €214

$308 R 5,040

-22.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,771 €2,468

$8,141 R 133.4K

-65.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €102

$57.4 R 940

100.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.40 €32.42

$31.75 R 520

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 €125

$116 R 1,900

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$101 R 1,650

28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 €609

$1,047 R 17.1K

-34.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €465

$669 R 11.0K

-22.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,156

$1,861 R 30.5K

-30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €893

$1,407 R 23.1K

-28.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,255 €3,790

$2,410 R 39.5K

76.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,548 €3,161

$1,570 R 25.7K

126.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 €1,317

$1,630 R 26.7K

-9.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

10.89

-65.84%

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

Last update for Pula: 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

Pula

$522 33.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 28.2% $147

Groceries & Markets

Pula

$300 19%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 25.5% $76

Eating Out

Pula

$217 13.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 19.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pula

$216 13.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 15.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Pula

$189 12%

Cape Town

$138 9% 27.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Pula

$75 4.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 7.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Pula

$57 3.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 25.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇭🇷 Pula

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of Pula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,220

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Pula
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

Pula vs Cape Town: 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 $2,364 per month in Pula 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 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 $1,576 in Pula and $1,527 in Cape Town. 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 $1,576 in Pula 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 $1,576 in Pula. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.