Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktau and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $793 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$793

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $793 per month in Aktau vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aktau $793
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Aktau vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aktau $1,317
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,842 per month in Aktau vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aktau $1,842
Cape Town $3,263

Aktau is about 50% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Aktau sits 41% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₸5,005

$12.14 R 200

-8.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.55 ₸19.7K

$45.34 R 747

-3.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 ₸4,596

$5.88 R 96.9

72.96%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ₸1,128

$2.50 R 41.18

-0.40%

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

$0.74 ₸333

$1.27 R 20.94

-41.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₸219

$0.98 R 16.14

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₸586

$2.99 R 49.33

-56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₸690

$3.72 R 61.4

-58.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 ₸638

$1.30 R 21.40

8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₸211

$1.25 R 20.68

-62.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 ₸864

$2.23 R 36.76

-14.35%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸783

$3.11 R 51.2

-44.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 ₸4,463

$9.06 R 149

8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₸1,915

$6.92 R 114

-38.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.95 ₸4,044

$9.30 R 153

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ₸689

$1.84 R 30.25

-16.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ₸1,013

$1.96 R 32.29

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₸1,064

$1.67 R 27.45

40.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 ₸1,264

$2.17 R 35.70

29.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₸295

$1.57 R 25.81

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₸254

$1.48 R 24.45

-62.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₸700

$1.30 R 21.41

19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₸424

$1.13 R 18.60

-16.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.59 ₸1,172

$3.60 R 59.3

-28.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 ₸4,313

$6.15 R 101

55.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₸326

$1.38 R 22.66

-47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₸393

$2.14 R 35.20

-59.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₸82.6

$1.50 R 24.65

-88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 ₸512

$0.59 R 9.71

91.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸290

$1.50 R 24.65

-57.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 ₸283

$1.55 R 25.50

-59.35%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.4K ₸14.2M

$31.2K R 514.8K

0.58%

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

$45.69 ₸20.7K

$114 R 1,883

-60.03%

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

$7.94 ₸3,587

$28.91 R 476

-72.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.01 ₸4,979

$39.73 R 654

-72.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.98 ₸16.3K

$49.01 R 808

-26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$3.18 ₸1,437

$9.15 R 151

-65.25%

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

$143 ₸64.8K

$259 R 4,264

-44.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,621 ₸1.2M

$6,794 R 111.9K

-61.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 ₸30.2K

$56.2 R 926

18.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 ₸18.4K

$32.41 R 534

25.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ₸32.4K

$121 R 1,987

-40.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 ₸40.5K

$108 R 1,781

-17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₸149.2K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-67.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ₸88.6K

$717 R 11.8K

-72.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 ₸249.0K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-69.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₸177.8K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-70.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$813 ₸367.6K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-65.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$659 ₸297.7K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-57.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$564 ₸254.8K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-65.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

27.62%

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

Last update for Aktau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aktau

$200 25.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 12.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Aktau

$196 24.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 266% $521

Eating Out

Aktau

$163 20.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 7.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Aktau

$121 15.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 18% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktau

$65 8.2%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 183% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Aktau

$42 5.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 59% $25

Getting Around

Aktau

$5.1 * 0.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 1376% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $330 in Aktau versus $1,021 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 191% 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 $44.00 in Aktau versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $225 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktau

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

3 h behind Aktau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,830

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aktau Cape Town 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aktau
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

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

Cape Town costs about 100% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,189 per month in Aktau and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Aktau and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktau, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Aktau 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. Aktau costs $793 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aktau. 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.