Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ahvaz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahvaz: $573 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Ahvaz
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Ahvaz Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ahvaz

🇮🇷 Iran

$573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $573 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ahvaz $573

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $875 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ahvaz $875

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,176 in Ahvaz, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ahvaz $1,176

Cape Town costs about 177% more than Ahvaz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ahvaz is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.97 $1.97

516.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$12.01 $12.01

277.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.73 $3.73

57.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 $0.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.19 $1.19

110.08%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.52 $0.52

144.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.96 $0.96

2.08%

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

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.61 $0.61

104.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.85 $1.85

20.54%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.30 $1.30

139.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.09 $4.09

121.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.74 $3.74

85.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.73 $9.73

-4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.80 $0.80

130.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.39 $1.39

41.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.77 $0.77

116.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.56 $0.56

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.54 $0.54

190.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.51 $0.51

190.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.44 $0.44

195.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.29 $0.29

289.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.98 $0.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 $1.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.23 $2.23

61.43%

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

$0.15 $0.15

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.46 $9.46

542.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.52 $0.52

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.48 $0.48

212.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.94 $2.94

73.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.10 $0.10

1450.00%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$118.2K $118.2K

-69.37%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$63.9K $63.9K

-51.08%

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

$114 R 1,883

$14.21 $14.21

704.50%

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

$28.91 R 476

$1.56 $1.56

1753.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$7.06 $7.06

462.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$18.01 $18.01

172.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$5.95 $5.95

84.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$1.23 $1.23

643.90%

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

$259 R 4,264

$105 $105

146.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$624 $624

989.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$52.2 $52.2

7.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$47.41 $47.41

-31.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$97.0 $97.0

24.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$103 $103

5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$318 $318

221.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$221 $221

224.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$521 $521

250.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$348 $348

281.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,282 $1,282

86.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$743 $743

107.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$537 $537

205.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

23.67

-53.65%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ahvaz: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ahvaz

$221 38.6% 69.2% $496

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ahvaz

$114 19.9% 49.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ahvaz

$23 4% 87.5% $160

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ahvaz

$47 8.2% 73.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ahvaz

$135 23.5% 5.6% $8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ahvaz

$13 2.3% 82.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ahvaz

$20 3.6% 69.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $318 in Ahvaz. 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 205% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $12.00 in Ahvaz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $114 – making Ahvaz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇷 Ahvaz

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,184,788

💱 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 Ahvaz 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ahvaz

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 Ahvaz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 177%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $859 in Ahvaz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahvaz, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town and $12.00 in Ahvaz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $573 in Ahvaz. That's a gap of about 177%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ahvaz, where all-in costs run around $573, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ahvaz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ahvaz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ahvaz. 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.