Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al Mukalla

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mukalla: $854 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Al Mukalla

🇾🇪 Yemen

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town versus $854 in Al Mukalla.

Cape Town $1,568
Al Mukalla $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,438 in Cape Town versus $1,651 in Al Mukalla.

Cape Town $2,438
Al Mukalla $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,307 in Cape Town versus $2,448 in Al Mukalla.

Cape Town $3,307
Al Mukalla $2,448

Living in Cape Town is roughly 83% more expensive than in Al Mukalla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Al Mukalla is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$17.03 YER 4,015

-30.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$83.8 YER 19.8K

-44.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$8.31 YER 1,960

-70.28%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.84 YER 197

22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$10.84 YER 2,556

-72.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$14.90 YER 3,514

-39.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$26.10 YER 6,155

-74.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$59.9 YER 14.1K

-84.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$14.72 YER 3,472

-87.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$6.23 YER 1,468

-69.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$5.04 YER 1,189

-65.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$3.42 YER 806

-38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$7.82 YER 1,845

-80.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$4.19 YER 988

-64.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$2.49 YER 587

-53.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

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

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 Mukalla: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Al Mukalla

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Al Mukalla

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Al Mukalla

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Al Mukalla

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Al Mukalla

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Al Mukalla

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al Mukalla

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47.00 in Cape Town vs $84.0 in Al Mukalla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $608 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇾🇪 Al Mukalla

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

176,942

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 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 Mukalla 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al Mukalla

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 Mukalla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Mukalla is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and utilities. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,352 in Cape Town and $1,282 in Al Mukalla 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.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 173% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Mukalla – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $47.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $854 in Al Mukalla versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al Mukalla but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Al Mukalla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al Mukalla 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 Al Mukalla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.