Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al-masna'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-masna’ah: $952 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cape Town, South Africa
Al-masna'ah, Oman
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,556
/mo nomad
Al-masna'ah
🇴🇲 Oman
$952
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Al-masna'ah

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-masna'ah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $952 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,556
  • Al-masna'ah $952

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,432 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,432
  • Al-masna'ah $1,432

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,912 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,307
  • Al-masna'ah $1,912

Cape Town costs about 64% more than Al-masna’ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Al-masna’ah is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.09 R 201
$5.15 OMR 1.98
134.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.34 R 738
$39.68 OMR 15.28
11.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 102
$7.60 OMR 2.93
-19.08%
Cappuccino
$2.36 R 39.24
$4.97 OMR 1.91
-52.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 R 21.03
$0.87 OMR 0.33
44.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.56
$0.27 OMR 0.10
270.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 R 51.2
$12.99 OMR 5.00
-76.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 R 61.5
$12.83 OMR 4.94
-71.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 R 22.38
$2.28 OMR 0.88
-41.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 R 19.86
$1.19 OMR 0.46
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.10 R 34.96
$1.88 OMR 0.72
11.70%
Eggs
$3.05 R 50.7
$3.01 OMR 1.16
1.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 145
$7.49 OMR 2.88
16.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.97 R 116
$7.01 OMR 2.70
-0.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.39 R 156
$10.45 OMR 4.02
-10.14%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 R 31.39
$3.65 OMR 1.40
-48.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.88 R 31.27
$1.94 OMR 0.75
-3.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.69 R 28.04
$2.40 OMR 0.92
-29.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 R 34.02
$1.30 OMR 0.50
56.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 R 26.08
$1.21 OMR 0.46
29.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.61
$1.28 OMR 0.49
15.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 21.33
$1.80 OMR 0.69
-28.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R 19.78
$0.69 OMR 0.27
72.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.63 R 60.4
$6.48 OMR 2.49
-43.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.17 R 103
$15.70 OMR 6.05
-60.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 23.10
$5.98 OMR 2.30
-76.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 36.27
$10.36 OMR 3.99
-78.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 R 22.79
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.3 R 1,020
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.57 R 9.56
$3.35 OMR 1.29
-82.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 R 24.58
$2.53 OMR 0.97
-41.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 R 81.5
$7.89 OMR 3.04
-37.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 R 26.25
$0.61 OMR 0.23
159.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.7K R 577.5K
$24.6K OMR 9,472
41.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K R 567.4K
$20.8K OMR 8,024
63.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,945
$177 OMR 68.3
-34.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.35 R 472
$30.86 OMR 11.88
-8.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.58 R 675
$69.8 OMR 26.87
-41.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.54 R 808
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.80 R 180
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.11 R 152
$10.23 OMR 3.94
-10.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$302 R 5,024
$493 OMR 190
-38.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,720 R 111.8K
$10.4K OMR 4,015
-35.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.2 R 919
$57.5 OMR 22.15
-4.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.70 R 544
$44.09 OMR 16.97
-25.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 R 1,961
$90.1 OMR 34.69
30.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 R 1,728
$87.8 OMR 33.81
18.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,041 R 17.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$691 R 11.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,981 R 33.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,388 R 23.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,420 R 40.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,552 R 25.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,576 R 26.2K
$4,094 OMR 1,576
-61.51%
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 24, 2026

Last update for Al-masna'ah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$691
Al-masna'ah
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$224
Al-masna'ah
$293 30.9% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$186
Al-masna'ah
$278 49.6% $92
Eating Out
Cape Town
$175
Al-masna'ah
$219 24.8% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$139
Al-masna'ah
$126 9.7% $14
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
Al-masna'ah
$16 * 78.6% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
Al-masna'ah
$20 * 69.4% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Al-masna’ah are about 2.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $40 in Al-masna’ah. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Cape Town vs $293 in Al-masna’ah – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇴🇲 Al-masna'ah
🕒 Local time
13:54 1:54 PM
15:54 3:54 PM
2 h ahead of Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.428 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Al-masna'ah 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Al-masna'ah

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-masna'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Cape Town and in Al-masna’ah compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,556 in Cape Town, $952 in Al-masna’ah – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Cape Town compared to Al-masna’ah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,428 in Al-masna’ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Cape Town or Al-masna’ah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $952 in Al-masna’ah. That’s a gap of about 64%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Cape Town and Al-masna’ah?
Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $493 in Al-masna’ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al-masna’ah, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In Al-masna’ah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Cape Town and Al-masna’ah?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $952 in Al-masna’ah to $1,556 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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