Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al Mahwit

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mahwit: $761 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Al Mahwit
Learn more

Al Mahwit Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Al Mahwit

🇾🇪 Yemen

$761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Al Mahwit

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $761 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Al Mahwit $761

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,197 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Al Mahwit $1,197

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,634 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Al Mahwit $1,634

Cape Town costs about 106% more than Al Mahwit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Al Mahwit is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$6.23 YER 1,469

89.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 770

$25.53 YER 6,021

82.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.7

$9.47 YER 2,233

-37.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 YER 459

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.92

$3.64 YER 859

-32.14%

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

$1.33 R 21.98

$1.17 YER 275

13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.04

$0.55 YER 130

87.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.02

$2.07 YER 488

-32.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.66

$1.63 YER 384

-26.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.94

$1.98 YER 466

6.57%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.73

$3.58 YER 845

-15.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$16.97 YER 4,003

-47.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.17 YER 1,926

-18.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$18.64 YER 4,395

-50.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.22

$3.31 YER 782

-44.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.40

$1.05 YER 248

80.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$2.17 YER 511

-19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.51

$1.67 YER 394

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.72

$1.47 YER 346

5.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.60

$1.37 YER 323

8.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.48

$1.26 YER 298

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.25

$0.68 YER 161

70.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 585

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 440

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.3

$5.58 YER 1,316

-33.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.42

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,009

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.36

$4.19 YER 988

-84.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.37

$2.15 YER 508

-28.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.6

$7.19 YER 1,696

-33.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.16

$2.14 YER 505

-26.17%

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

$35.5K R 587.4K

$17.2K YER 4.1M

106.39%

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

$31.7K R 525.4K

$34.5K YER 8.1M

-7.85%

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

$116 R 1,926

$108 YER 25.4K

8.17%

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

$28.37 R 469

$23.33 YER 5,502

21.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 673

$103 YER 24.3K

-60.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.76 YER 1,358

53.30%

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

$261 R 4,326

$115 YER 27.1K

127.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.9K

$2,173 YER 512.6K

208.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 917

$42.19 YER 9,949

31.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 534

$121 YER 28.5K

-73.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,944

$48.73 YER 11.5K

141.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,771

$40.93 YER 9,654

161.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.25

-2.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Al Mahwit: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Al Mahwit

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Al Mahwit

$267 34.7% 20.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Al Mahwit

$234 30.4% 26.1% $48

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Al Mahwit

$129 16.7% 25.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Al Mahwit

$114 14.8% 19% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Al Mahwit

$15 * 1.9% 80.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al Mahwit

$12 * 1.5% 82.7% $55

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 $26.00 in Al Mahwit. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $267 in Al Mahwit – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇾🇪 Al Mahwit

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

12,817

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 16.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Al Mahwit 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al Mahwit

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 Mahwit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,142 in Al Mahwit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $761 in Al Mahwit. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $115 in Al Mahwit. 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 Mahwit, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Al Mahwit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mahwit – 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 Al Mahwit. 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.