Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Amol

For one person, living is cheaper in Amol: $536 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Amol
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Amol Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Amol

🇮🇷 Iran

$536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Amol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $536 in Amol.

Cape Town $1,586
Amol $536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $855 in Amol.

Cape Town $2,425
Amol $855

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,173 in Amol.

Cape Town $3,263
Amol $1,173

Living in Cape Town is roughly 196% more expensive than in Amol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Amol is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.91 $2.91

317.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$18.11 $18.11

150.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.09 $4.09

43.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.49 $0.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 $0.76

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.33 $1.33

87.97%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.44 $0.44

188.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.88 $0.88

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.57 $0.57

128.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.60 $0.60

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.07 $2.07

7.73%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.19 $1.19

161.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.32 $4.32

109.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.47 $3.47

99.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.11 $10.11

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.39 $1.39

32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.79 $1.79

9.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.74 $0.74

125.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.69 $0.69

214.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.59 $0.59

166.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.48 $0.48

208.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.57 $0.57

128.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.30 $0.30

276.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$0.98 $0.98

267.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.14 $0.14

971.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.69 $9.69

526.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.51 $0.51

15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.29 $0.29

417.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.92 $2.92

75.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.10 $0.10

1450.00%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$50.8K $50.8K

-28.74%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$44.5K $44.5K

-29.70%

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

$114 R 1,883

$12.81 $12.81

792.43%

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

$28.91 R 476

$1.64 $1.64

1662.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$3.78 $3.78

951.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$16.27 $16.27

201.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$16.27 $16.27

-32.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$1.52 $1.52

501.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

$107 $107

142.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,426 $2,426

180.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$19.83 $19.83

183.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$20.79 $20.79

55.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$115 $115

5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$71.4 $71.4

51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$344 $344

197.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$209 $209

242.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$809 $809

125.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$354 $354

274.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$925 $925

158.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$413 $413

273.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$228 $228

619.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

24.79

-55.75%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Amol: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Amol

$209 39.1% 70.8% $508

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Amol

$118 22% 47.5% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Amol

$18 3.4% 90% $165

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Amol

$57 10.6% 67.7% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Amol

$102 19% 28.5% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Amol

$12 2.3% 83.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Amol

$19 3.6% 71.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $344 in Amol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 619% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $18.00 in Amol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $118 per month, with Amol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇷 Amol

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

225,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Amol 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Amol

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 Amol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Amol differ by about 196% in total monthly costs ($1,586 vs $536 including rent). Amol is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 619% higher in Cape Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $344 in Amol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $536 in Amol – a 196% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Amol runs roughly 527% less than in Cape Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $536 in Amol versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amol but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Amol the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Amol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 196% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.