Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $638 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Al-qardahah $638

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,011 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Al-qardahah $1,011

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,383 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Al-qardahah $1,383

Cape Town costs about 148% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$9.83 SYP 1,194

23.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.10 SYP 5,117

7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.03 SYP 855

-16.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.67 SYP 446

-31.88%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.27 SYP 276

-44.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.86 SYP 105

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.05 SYP 249

45.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.98 SYP 484

-6.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.10 SYP 133

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.42 SYP 50.5

197.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.58 SYP 192

41.14%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.60 SYP 195

94.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.89 SYP 472

132.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.56 SYP 676

24.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.73 SYP 1,668

-32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.02 SYP 124

80.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.41 SYP 171

39.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.15 SYP 139

45.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.03 SYP 125

110.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.76 SYP 91.9

106.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.76 SYP 92.1

94.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.44 SYP 53.5

195.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.62 SYP 75.9

82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.85 SYP 346

26.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.81 SYP 706

5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.05 SYP 128

31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.92 SYP 355

-26.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.98 SYP 120

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.57 SYP 190

-4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.49 SYP 911

-31.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$3.72 SYP 452

-58.33%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

140.19%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

64.54%

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

$114 R 1,883

$137 SYP 16.7K

-16.71%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.89 SYP 1,202

192.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$45.78 SYP 5,564

-13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.62 SYP 683

62.81%

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

$259 R 4,264

$66.2 SYP 8,040

291.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

281.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$29.05 SYP 3,531

93.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$39.40 SYP 4,788

-17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$59.0 SYP 7,164

104.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$57.9 SYP 7,030

86.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

14.25

-23.02%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3% 25.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2% 5.4% $10

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3% 0.9% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1% 41.6% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4% 88.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8% 83.3% $56

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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $42.00 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $168 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

23:23 11:23 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Al-qardahah 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 148%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $958 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $42.00 in Al-qardahah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – 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-qardahah. 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.