Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
Learn more

Ar-rustaq Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ar-rustaq

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $958 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ar-rustaq $958

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,438 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ar-rustaq $1,438

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,918 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ar-rustaq $1,918

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ar-rustaq is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.31 OMR 2.04

128.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$39.09 OMR 15.05

15.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$8.01 OMR 3.08

-26.59%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.10 OMR 1.96

-50.98%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.86 OMR 0.33

47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.29 OMR 0.11

237.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-77.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$12.84 OMR 4.94

-71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.19 OMR 0.46

5.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.84 OMR 0.71

21.20%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.06 OMR 1.18

1.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.51 OMR 2.89

20.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.11 OMR 2.74

-2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.73 OMR 4.13

-13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.67 OMR 1.41

-49.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.02 OMR 0.78

-2.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.32 OMR 0.51

64.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.17 OMR 0.45

34.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.28 OMR 0.49

15.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.84 OMR 0.71

-29.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.71 OMR 0.27

59.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.58 OMR 2.53

-45.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$15.57 OMR 5.99

-60.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$5.81 OMR 2.24

-76.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$10.12 OMR 3.89

-78.85%

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

$3.17 OMR 1.22

-81.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.56 OMR 0.99

-41.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.96 OMR 3.06

-35.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.63 OMR 0.24

146.03%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.8K OMR 9,938

40.27%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$23.0K OMR 8,854

35.86%

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

$114 R 1,883

$181 OMR 69.8

-36.96%

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

$28.91 R 476

$28.68 OMR 11.04

0.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$70.4 OMR 27.10

-43.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.32 OMR 3.97

-11.34%

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

$259 R 4,264

$293 OMR 113

-11.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.7K OMR 4,101

-36.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$57.4 OMR 22.09

-2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$43.10 OMR 16.59

-24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$88.8 OMR 34.20

35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$86.7 OMR 33.39

24.63%

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

$4,439 OMR 1,709

-63.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6% 30.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3% 53.3% $97

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3% 26.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 13% $19

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 78.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 69.3% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 171% higher in Ar-rustaq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $39.00 in Ar-rustaq. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $293 in Ar-rustaq – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

120,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ar-rustaq 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ar-rustaq

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 Ar-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,437 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $958 in Ar-rustaq. That's a gap of about 66%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $293 in Ar-rustaq. 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 Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.