Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Abadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $513 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Abadan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Abadan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $513 in Abadan.

Cape Town $1,586
Abadan $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $820 in Abadan.

Cape Town $2,425
Abadan $820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,127 in Abadan.

Cape Town $3,263
Abadan $1,127

Living in Cape Town is roughly 209% more expensive than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Abadan is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.95 $2.95

311.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$16.62 $16.62

172.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.12 $4.12

42.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.99 $0.99

152.53%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.45 $0.45

182.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.87 $0.87

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.08 $1.08

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.45 $0.45

177.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.25 $2.25

-0.89%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.17 $1.17

165.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.03 $5.03

80.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.17 $3.17

118.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.02 $9.02

3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.16 $1.16

58.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.81 $1.81

8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.89 $0.89

87.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.56 $0.56

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.53 $0.53

196.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.46 $0.46

221.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.49 $0.49

165.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.24 $0.24

370.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 $0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 $1.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.53 $2.53

42.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.14 $0.14

971.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.69 $9.69

526.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.39 $0.39

51.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.31 $0.31

383.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.32 $2.32

120.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.09 $0.09

1622.22%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$49.4K $49.4K

-26.72%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$44.4K $44.4K

-29.66%

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

$114 R 1,883

$13.48 $13.48

748.07%

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

$28.91 R 476

$1.63 $1.63

1673.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$3.55 $3.55

1019.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$17.76 $17.76

175.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$12.51 $12.51

-12.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$2.03 $2.03

350.74%

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

$259 R 4,264

$108 $108

139.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,343 $2,343

189.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$20.38 $20.38

175.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$27.95 $27.95

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$105 $105

14.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$79.5 $79.5

35.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$288 $288

254.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$186 $186

286.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$774 $774

135.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$318 $318

317.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$709 $709

237.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,022 $1,022

50.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$444 $444

269.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

24.3

-54.86%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Abadan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Abadan

$186 36.1% 74.1% $531

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Abadan

$117 22.9% 47.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Abadan

$19 3.6% 89.8% $164

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Abadan

$53 10.3% 69.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Abadan

$105 20.4% 26.6% $38

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Abadan

$12 2.4% 83.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Abadan

$22 4.3% 67.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $288 in Abadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 269% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $17.00 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $117 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇷 Abadan

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

231,476

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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 exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Abadan 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Abadan

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

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

Abadan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 269% higher in Cape Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $288 in Abadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $513 in Abadan – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $513 in Abadan versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abadan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cape Town, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.