Boquete vs Cape Town: cost of living for digital nomads

Boquete, Panama and Cape Town, South Africa, line by line from the catalogue: what a month costs, rent, food, coworking, safety and internet. Every figure links back to its source on the city page.

The short version

  • Boquete is about 3% cheaper than Cape Town for a month of nomad living ($1,550 vs $1,600).
  • Rent is the biggest gap: $700 in Boquete against $720 in Cape Town.
  • Boquete scores higher on safety (8/10 vs 6/10).
  • Internet is faster in Boquete: 100 Mbps typical against 80 Mbps.
  • Boquete is temperate; Cape Town is mediterranean.

Boquete wins 6 of the measured lines; Cape Town wins 1.

LineBoqueteCape Town
Monthly total (USD)$1,550$1,600
Rent$700$720
Food$400$430
Transport$60$60
Coworking$100$130
Safety (out of 10)8/106/10
Internet (Mbps)10080
Climatetemperatemediterranean
City sizesmallmetro
Settingmountaincoast
Nomad score (out of 10)7/109/10

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Costs are typical monthly figures for one person in USD, from the sources named on each city page; safety and internet are the catalogue's own ratings. Check the city pages for the dates each was last verified.