Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,021 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Adama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,021 in Adama, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Adama $1,021

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,672 in Adama, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Adama $1,672

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,323 in Adama, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Adama $2,323

Cape Town costs about 54% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.99 ETB 480

293.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$42.94 ETB 6,900

8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$4.91 ETB 789

21.38%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$0.91 ETB 146

171.43%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.59 ETB 94.0

125.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.31 ETB 50.1

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$0.77 ETB 124

290.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$2.27 ETB 364

61.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.81 ETB 131

71.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.21 ETB 195

-1.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.15 ETB 345

-1.86%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.81 ETB 291

66.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$7.25 ETB 1,165

23.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$10.12 ETB 1,626

-34.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$8.96 ETB 1,440

3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$5.33 ETB 857

-65.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.63 ETB 101

201.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.12 ETB 340

-17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.65 ETB 105

221.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.47 ETB 75.4

229.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.04 ETB 167

43.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.66 ETB 106

96.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.57 ETB 91.7

103.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$8.21 ETB 1,320

-54.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.74 ETB 922

5.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.71 ETB 115

95.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.22 ETB 197

80.33%

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

$1.30 ETB 209

-51.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.27 ETB 43.11

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$1.94 ETB 312

147.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.89 ETB 143

77.53%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

-35.13%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

-42.69%

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

$116 R 1,920

$204 ETB 32.7K

-42.89%

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

$28.37 R 468

$7.21 ETB 1,159

293.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$211 ETB 33.8K

-80.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$3.86 ETB 620

128.76%

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

$261 R 4,314

$136 ETB 21.9K

91.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-77.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$33.62 ETB 5,401

64.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

-53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

51.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

30.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$350 ETB 56.2K

190.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$199 ETB 32.0K

259.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$985 ETB 158.3K

82.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$811 ETB 130.3K

64.13%

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

$101 ETB 16.3K

1513.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

18.5

-40.70%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Adama

$199 19.5% 72.2% $516

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Adama

$208 20.4% 6.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Adama

$422 41.4% 127% $236

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Adama

$62 6% 64.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Adama

$118 11.6% 15.7% $22

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 96.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8% 88.4% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $350 in Adama. 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 1513% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $43.00 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $208 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

228,623

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Adama 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town, $1,021 in Adama – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,531 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town and $43.00 in Adama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Adama, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Adama 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 $1,021 in Adama to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. 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.