Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Abadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,174 in Abadan, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. The total is higher in Abadan despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Abadan

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,174

/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: $1,568 in Cape Town versus $2,174 in Abadan.

Cape Town $1,568
Abadan $2,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,438 in Cape Town versus $3,269 in Abadan.

Cape Town $2,438
Abadan $3,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,307 in Cape Town versus $4,365 in Abadan.

Cape Town $3,307
Abadan $4,365

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 28% less than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Abadan 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$30.95 TMT 104

-61.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$85.2 TMT 286

-45.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$12.95 TMT 43.50

-53.98%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$6.96 TMT 23.39

-64.51%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.53 TMT 5.12

-13.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.88 TMT 2.96

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$5.84 TMT 19.62

-48.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$13.30 TMT 44.68

-72.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$4.53 TMT 15.22

-69.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$2.08 TMT 6.98

-42.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$5.82 TMT 19.54

-63.75%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$5.93 TMT 19.93

-49.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$38.06 TMT 128

-76.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$20.32 TMT 68.3

-67.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$23.18 TMT 77.9

-59.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$5.20 TMT 17.46

-64.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$8.52 TMT 28.61

-77.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$7.34 TMT 24.66

-76.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$3.61 TMT 12.14

-42.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.26 TMT 7.59

-31.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.39 TMT 4.66

7.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.73 TMT 9.19

-52.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.08 TMT 3.64

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$25.14 TMT 84.5

-85.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$42.11 TMT 141

-85.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$5.08 TMT 17.08

-72.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.93 TMT 9.84

-24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$2.78 TMT 9.36

-77.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.82 TMT 2.77

86.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$8.30 TMT 27.88

-42.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.41 TMT 1.37

285.37%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$44.6K TMT 150.0K

-20.46%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$56.2K TMT 189.0K

-43.55%

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

$116 R 1,920

$576 TMT 1,936

-79.80%

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

$28.37 R 468

$57.7 TMT 194

-50.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$104 TMT 348

-60.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.57 TMT 28.79

3.03%

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

$261 R 4,314

$22.90 TMT 77.0

1041.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$24.4K TMT 81.9K

-72.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$56.1 TMT 189

-1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$115 TMT 387

-71.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$368 TMT 1,238

-68.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$192 TMT 645

-44.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

9.5

15.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Abadan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Abadan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Abadan

$672 30.6% 202% $449

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Abadan

$738 33.6% 298% $552

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Abadan

$435 19.8% 151% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Abadan

$329 15% 134% $189

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Abadan

$6.9 * 0.3% 90.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Abadan

$17 * 0.8% 74.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47.00 in Cape Town vs $85.0 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $672 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇲 Abadan

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

39,481

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Abadan 8,990 km ≈ 12 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

Cape Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,352 in Cape Town and $3,260 in Abadan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $261 in Cape Town versus $22.90 in Abadan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $85.0 in Abadan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,568 in Cape Town versus $2,174 in Abadan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Abadan. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Abadan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Abadan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.