Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Astana and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,102 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,102

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,102 per month in Astana vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Astana $1,102
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Astana vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Astana $1,788
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Astana vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Astana $2,474
Cape Town $3,307

Astana is about 30% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Astana sits 18% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.89 ₸4,901

$11.78 R 195

-7.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.77 ₸17.0K

$46.55 R 772

-18.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 ₸3,470

$5.96 R 98.9

29.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₸1,125

$2.47 R 41.01

1.21%

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

$1.11 ₸500

$1.33 R 22.03

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₸300

$1.03 R 17.08

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₸582

$3.01 R 49.98

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ₸1,005

$3.66 R 60.8

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₸563

$1.39 R 23.08

-10.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₸266

$1.19 R 19.70

-50.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ₸729

$2.11 R 35.02

-23.22%

Eggs

$2.22 ₸1,000

$3.01 R 49.84

-26.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 ₸5,325

$8.96 R 149

32.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.67 ₸2,552

$6.65 R 110

-14.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₸4,615

$9.29 R 154

10.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸810

$1.83 R 30.28

-1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 ₸1,049

$1.90 R 31.47

22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₸1,028

$1.75 R 28.98

30.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 ₸996

$2.09 R 34.59

5.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸296

$1.55 R 25.78

-57.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₸191

$1.49 R 24.65

-71.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ₸657

$1.30 R 21.53

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₸415

$1.16 R 19.29

-20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₸1,013

$3.71 R 61.5

-39.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 ₸4,833

$6.06 R 101

77.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₸596

$1.39 R 22.97

-5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,068

$2.20 R 36.51

7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₸103

$1.51 R 25.11

-84.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.27 ₸7,324

$61.0 R 1,011

-73.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₸966

$0.63 R 10.38

241.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 ₸498

$1.53 R 25.42

-27.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.41 ₸2,883

$4.81 R 79.8

33.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 ₸278

$1.58 R 26.22

-60.76%

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

$24.1K ₸10.9M

$35.5K R 588.7K

-32.03%

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

$30.2K ₸13.6M

$31.7K R 526.6K

-5.04%

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

$65.7 ₸29.6K

$116 R 1,930

-43.55%

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

$9.81 ₸4,416

$28.37 R 471

-65.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.72 ₸7,978

$40.69 R 675

-56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 ₸25.5K

$48.85 R 810

15.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 ₸9,059

$11.13 R 185

80.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.46 ₸2,906

$8.83 R 146

-26.84%

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

$365 ₸164.1K

$261 R 4,336

39.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ₸5.2M

$6,702 R 111.2K

73.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ₸28.6K

$55.4 R 919

14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.04 ₸20.7K

$32.27 R 535

42.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₸52.7K

$118 R 1,949

-0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₸56.3K

$107 R 1,775

16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 ₸252.4K

$1,015 R 16.8K

-44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ₸170.6K

$715 R 11.9K

-47.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 ₸496.7K

$1,801 R 29.9K

-38.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ₸345.4K

$1,330 R 22.1K

-42.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,553 ₸699.3K

$2,331 R 38.7K

-33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,117 ₸503.0K

$1,513 R 25.1K

-26.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₸394.6K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-46.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.5

10.97

41.29%

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

Last update for Astana: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Astana

$379 34.2%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 88.7% $336

Groceries & Markets

Astana

$224 20.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 0.8% $1.7

Eating Out

Astana

$158 14.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 9.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Astana

$158 14.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 11.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Astana

$93 8.4%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 98.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Astana

$70 6.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 4.3% $3

Getting Around

Astana

$25 2.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 203% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $561 in Astana 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 87% 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 $38.00 in Astana versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Astana vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Astana

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

4 h behind Astana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

814,400 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Astana Cape Town 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Astana
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,102 in Astana, $1,568 in Cape Town – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,653 per month in Astana 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 Astana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $365 per month in Astana and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Astana, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Astana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Astana to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Astana. 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.