Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al-Qusayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Qusayr: $639 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-Qusayr
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Al-Qusayr Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Al-Qusayr

🇸🇾 Syria

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $639 in Al-Qusayr.

Cape Town $1,586
Al-Qusayr $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,012 in Al-Qusayr.

Cape Town $2,425
Al-Qusayr $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,385 in Al-Qusayr.

Cape Town $3,263
Al-Qusayr $1,385

Living in Cape Town is roughly 148% more expensive than in Al-Qusayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Al-Qusayr is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$9.84 SYP 1,196

23.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.27 SYP 5,137

7.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.12 SYP 866

-17.42%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.64 SYP 442

-31.32%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.22 SYP 269

-42.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.83 SYP 101

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.96 SYP 238

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.96 SYP 481

-6.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.10 SYP 134

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.41 SYP 49.91

204.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.50 SYP 183

48.67%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.61 SYP 196

93.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.94 SYP 478

129.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.66 SYP 688

22.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.54 SYP 1,646

-31.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.03 SYP 125

78.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.42 SYP 173

38.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.14 SYP 139

46.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.05 SYP 128

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.80 SYP 97.1

96.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.74 SYP 90.1

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.44 SYP 53.0

195.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.66 SYP 79.6

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.71 SYP 330

32.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.06 SYP 737

1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.09 SYP 132

26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.82 SYP 343

-24.11%

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 119

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.50 SYP 182

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.60 SYP 924

-32.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$3.58 SYP 435

-56.70%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

139.04%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

64.46%

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

$114 R 1,883

$138 SYP 16.7K

-17.04%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.90 SYP 1,203

192.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$45.56 SYP 5,536

-12.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.61 SYP 682

63.10%

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

$259 R 4,264

$65.6 SYP 7,973

294.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,800 SYP 218.7K

277.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$28.15 SYP 3,420

99.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$39.64 SYP 4,817

-18.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$60.5 SYP 7,356

99.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$58.8 SYP 7,139

83.97%

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-Qusayr: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Al-Qusayr

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Al-Qusayr

$169 26.4% 25.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Al-Qusayr

$193 30.2% 5.6% $10

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Al-Qusayr

$174 27.2% 1.5% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Al-Qusayr

$84 13.2% 41% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Al-Qusayr

$8.5 * 1.3% 88.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al-Qusayr

$11 * 1.8% 83.3% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $42.00 in Al-Qusayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $169 per month, with Al-Qusayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Al-Qusayr

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

29,818

💱 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-Qusayr 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al-Qusayr

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-Qusayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Qusayr is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 148% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $959 in Al-Qusayr 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $639 in Al-Qusayr – a 148% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $639 in Al-Qusayr versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Qusayr but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Qusayr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al-Qusayr 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-Qusayr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.