Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al-`awabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $954 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Al-`awabi
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Al-`awabi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Al-`awabi

🇴🇲 Oman

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Al-`awabi

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 Al-`awabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $954 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Al-`awabi $954

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,430 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Al-`awabi $1,430

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,906 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Al-`awabi $1,906

Cape Town costs about 68% more than Al-`awabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Al-`awabi is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$5.07 OMR 1.95

138.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$38.32 OMR 14.76

21.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$8.00 OMR 3.08

-22.50%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$5.03 OMR 1.94

-50.30%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.87 OMR 0.33

55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.27 OMR 0.10

270.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$13.05 OMR 5.02

-76.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$12.85 OMR 4.95

-71.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.17 OMR 0.45

8.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.81 OMR 0.70

19.89%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.95 OMR 1.14

4.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$7.48 OMR 2.88

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.83 OMR 2.63

2.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$10.72 OMR 4.13

-9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$3.62 OMR 1.39

-48.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.00 OMR 0.77

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$2.43 OMR 0.94

-27.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.26 OMR 0.49

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.16 OMR 0.45

31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.29 OMR 0.50

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.71 OMR 0.27

61.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.47 OMR 2.49

-42.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$15.87 OMR 6.11

-62.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$5.77 OMR 2.22

-76.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$10.38 OMR 4.00

-79.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-81.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$2.55 OMR 0.98

-39.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$7.72 OMR 2.97

-35.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.63 OMR 0.24

153.97%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$25.1K OMR 9,659

41.16%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$22.6K OMR 8,707

53.21%

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

$119 R 1,955

$180 OMR 69.2

-34.01%

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

$29.42 R 485

$31.04 OMR 11.95

-5.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$69.6 OMR 26.80

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$10.51 OMR 4.05

-14.46%

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

$261 R 4,303

$290 OMR 112

-10.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$10.6K OMR 4,094

-34.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$57.2 OMR 22.03

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$43.57 OMR 16.77

-23.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$89.0 OMR 34.28

36.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$86.0 OMR 33.12

25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Al-`awabi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Al-`awabi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Al-`awabi

$292 30.6% 28.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Al-`awabi

$280 29.4% 49.3% $93

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Al-`awabi

$220 23.1% 24.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Al-`awabi

$124 13% 13.4% $19

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Al-`awabi

$16 * 1.7% 78.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Al-`awabi

$21 * 2.2% 69.4% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Al-`awabi. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Cape Town vs $292 in Al-`awabi – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Al-`awabi

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,711

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Al-`awabi 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al-`awabi

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 Al-`awabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,430 in Al-`awabi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $954 in Al-`awabi. That's a gap of about 68%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $290 in Al-`awabi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-`awabi. 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.