Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Adma

For one person, living is cheaper in Adma: $1,018 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Adma
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Adma Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Adma

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town versus $1,018 in Adma.

Cape Town $1,568
Adma $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,438 in Cape Town versus $1,588 in Adma.

Cape Town $2,438
Adma $1,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,307 in Cape Town versus $2,158 in Adma.

Cape Town $3,307
Adma $2,158

Living in Cape Town is roughly 54% more expensive than in Adma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Adma is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$12.06 LBP 1.1M

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$68.6 LBP 6.1M

-32.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$9.95 LBP 890.1K

-40.10%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$4.57 LBP 409.2K

-45.95%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$2.28 LBP 203.8K

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.88 LBP 78.8K

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$4.87 LBP 436.2K

-38.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.64 LBP 415.3K

-21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.91 LBP 170.5K

-27.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.86 LBP 76.8K

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.23 LBP 199.7K

-5.38%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.53 LBP 315.7K

-14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$11.15 LBP 997.5K

-19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$10.77 LBP 963.5K

-38.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$14.64 LBP 1.3M

-36.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.11 LBP 278.8K

-41.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.72 LBP 153.6K

10.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.48 LBP 132.7K

41.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.27 LBP 113.2K

22.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.52 LBP 136.5K

-1.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.71 LBP 63.7K

63.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$3.08 LBP 276.0K

20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$11.21 LBP 1.0M

-45.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.47 LBP 221.3K

-10.93%

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

$5.09 LBP 455.3K

-87.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

-30.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$22.36 LBP 2.0M

-78.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.07 LBP 95.7K

47.66%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$53.7K LBP 4.8B

-33.95%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

-1.55%

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

$116 R 1,920

$236 LBP 21.1M

-50.73%

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

$28.37 R 468

$22.12 LBP 2.0M

28.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$38.19 LBP 3.4M

6.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$9.82 LBP 879.3K

-10.08%

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

$261 R 4,314

$692 LBP 61.9M

-62.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$10.6K LBP 944.9M

-36.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$66.3 LBP 5.9M

-16.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$48.86 LBP 4.4M

-33.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$139 LBP 12.4M

-15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$119 LBP 10.7M

-10.33%

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

-0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Adma: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Adma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Adma

$275 27.5% 23.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Adma

$297 29.6% 59.9% $111

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Adma

$227 22.7% 31% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Adma

$168 16.8% 19.6% $28

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Adma

$16 * 1.6% 78.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Adma

$20 * 2% 70.5% $47

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 $69.0 in Adma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $275 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇧 Adma

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,291 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Adma 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Adma

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 Adma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adma is cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and leisure. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,352 in Cape Town and $1,527 in Adma 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 $692 in Adma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Adma – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $47.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,018 in Adma versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Adma but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Adma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Adma 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 Adma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.