Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $907 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $907 in Aqaba, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Aqaba $907

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,490 in Aqaba, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Aqaba $1,490

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,073 in Aqaba, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Aqaba $2,073

Cape Town costs about 75% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Aqaba is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.78 JOD 1.97

336.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$69.4 JOD 49.11

-34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.32 JOD 3.06

36.11%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.39 JOD 3.11

-43.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.60 JOD 0.43

111.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.60 JOD 0.42

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$8.25 JOD 5.84

-63.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$10.75 JOD 7.61

-65.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.51 JOD 0.36

145.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.59 JOD 1.12

40.25%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.72 JOD 1.22

80.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.55 JOD 3.93

63.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.32 JOD 3.06

60.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.00 JOD 7.08

-7.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.44 JOD 1.02

27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.40 JOD 0.99

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.07 JOD 0.76

56.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.69 JOD 0.49

214.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.68 JOD 0.48

130.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.72 JOD 0.51

105.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.60 JOD 0.42

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.53 JOD 0.38

113.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.77 JOD 2.67

-4.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$17.23 JOD 12.20

-64.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.78 JOD 1.97

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.53 JOD 1.79

-15.42%

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

$0.50 JOD 0.36

18.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.38 JOD 0.98

8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.14 JOD 5.06

-28.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.44 JOD 1.02

7.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$30.8K JOD 21.8K

17.72%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.6K JOD 22.3K

-0.99%

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

$114 R 1,883

$127 JOD 90.0

-10.07%

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

$28.91 R 476

$15.73 JOD 11.14

83.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$31.46 JOD 22.27

26.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$64.1 JOD 45.41

-23.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$11.10 JOD 7.86

-17.57%

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

$259 R 4,264

$486 JOD 344

-46.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,863 JOD 2,027

137.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$27.70 JOD 19.61

102.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$42.79 JOD 30.29

-24.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$42.82 JOD 30.32

181.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$70.0 JOD 49.53

54.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$277 JOD 196

268.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$211 JOD 149

239.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$669 JOD 474

172.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$459 JOD 325

189.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,109 JOD 785

115.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$572 JOD 405

169.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$553 JOD 391

196.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.81

61.09%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Aqaba

$211 23.3% 70.6% $506

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Aqaba

$190 20.9% 15.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Aqaba

$174 19.2% 4.7% $8.7

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Aqaba

$155 17.1% 11.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Aqaba

$82 9.1% 42.2% $60

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8% 90.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Aqaba

$86 9.5% 28.3% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $277 in Aqaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 196% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $69.0 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $190 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, 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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Aqaba 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,360 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $907 in Aqaba. That's a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $486 in Aqaba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aqaba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. 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.