Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aden and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Aden: $1,399 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
Learn more

Aden Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,399

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,399 per month in Aden vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aden $1,399
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,375 per month in Aden vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aden $2,375
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,352 per month in Aden vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aden $3,352
Cape Town $3,307

Aden is about 11% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aden and Cape Town sit above the global median – Aden by 4%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.51 YER 2,949

$11.78 R 194

6.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.00 YER 8,489

$46.55 R 768

-22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 YER 2,440

$5.96 R 98.4

73.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 YER 857

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 YER 1,060

Cappuccino

$3.98 YER 938

$2.47 R 40.80

61.13%

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

$3.31 YER 779

$1.33 R 21.91

148.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 YER 434

$1.03 R 16.99

78.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$5.23 YER 1,232

$1.39 R 22.96

276.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 YER 569

$1.19 R 19.60

102.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.31 YER 2,196

$2.11 R 34.84

341.23%

Eggs

$10.62 YER 2,505

$3.01 R 49.58

252.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 YER 2,002

$8.96 R 148

-5.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.75 YER 3,715

$6.65 R 110

136.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.8 YER 13.1K

$9.29 R 153

500.11%

Apples (1kg)

$13.49 YER 3,180

$1.83 R 30.13

637.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.67 YER 865

$1.90 R 31.31

93.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.39 YER 2,450

$1.75 R 28.83

493.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 YER 1,106

$2.09 R 34.41

124.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 YER 1,044

$1.55 R 25.64

185.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 YER 971

$1.49 R 24.53

176.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 YER 308

$1.30 R 21.41

0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 YER 332

$1.16 R 19.19

21.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.34 YER 1,494

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 YER 1,000

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 YER 1,220

$3.71 R 61.2

39.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 YER 75.3

$1.51 R 24.98

-78.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.73 YER 643

$1.58 R 26.08

72.78%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$49.54 YER 11.7K

$116 R 1,920

-57.43%

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

$10.08 YER 2,378

$28.37 R 468

-64.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.65 YER 5,813

$48.85 R 806

-49.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 YER 2,367

$11.13 R 184

-9.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 YER 1,414

$8.83 R 146

-32.05%

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

$32.98 YER 7,776

$261 R 4,314

-87.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,351 YER 1.3M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-20.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 YER 24.9K

$55.4 R 914

90.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.9 YER 19.8K

$32.27 R 532

159.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 YER 26.4K

$118 R 1,939

-4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 YER 38.0K

$107 R 1,766

50.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 YER 55.4K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-76.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 YER 60.5K

$715 R 11.8K

-64.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 YER 198.5K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 YER 127.9K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-59.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$590 YER 139.2K

$2,331 R 38.5K

-74.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$451 YER 106.3K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-70.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 YER 91.6K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-76.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

0.27%

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

Last update for Aden: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aden

$626 45.1%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 64.5% $403

Accommodation & Living

Aden

$257 18.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 179% $459

Clothing & Footwear

Aden

$208 15%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 32.5% $68

Eating Out

Aden

$199 14.4%

Cape Town

$174 11% 12.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aden

$60 * 4.3%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 211% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Aden

$37 2.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 81.5% $30

Getting Around

Aden

$1.3 * 0.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 5783% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in Aden versus $1,015 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 321% higher in Cape Town, 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 $36.00 in Aden versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $626 in Aden vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Aden

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Aden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

508,489

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aden Cape Town 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Aden
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

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

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Aden, 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 $2,098 per month in Aden and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aden, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,399 in Aden and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $32.98 per month in Aden and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aden, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Aden it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aden costs $1,399 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Aden. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.