Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arkhangelsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Arkhangelsk: $1,168 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Arkhangelsk
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Arkhangelsk Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Cape Town versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk.

Cape Town $1,599
Arkhangelsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,460 in Cape Town versus $1,801 in Arkhangelsk.

Cape Town $2,460
Arkhangelsk $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,320 in Cape Town versus $2,434 in Arkhangelsk.

Cape Town $3,320
Arkhangelsk $2,434

Living in Cape Town is roughly 37% more expensive than in Arkhangelsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 18% above, Arkhangelsk is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$49.21 ₽4,107

-5.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$9.90 ₽826

-37.37%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$3.67 ₽306

-31.88%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.36 ₽197

-42.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$2.41 ₽201

-58.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$3.65 ₽304

-16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$6.03 ₽503

-39.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.07 ₽88.9

21.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.94 ₽78.2

35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.78 ₽148

21.91%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.76 ₽147

75.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$8.36 ₽698

7.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.12 ₽511

14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$13.38 ₽1,116

-27.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.45 ₽204

-23.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.79 ₽149

7.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.18 ₽98.3

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.49 ₽208

-12.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.88 ₽73.2

72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.50 ₽41.38

212.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.47 ₽38.99

180.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.63 ₽52.5

82.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.98 ₽249

24.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$8.53 ₽712

-29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$0.89 ₽74.4

50.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$3.09 ₽258

-31.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.59 ₽49.65

162.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$51.6 ₽4,307

18.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$4.97 ₽414

-87.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.18 ₽15.17

755.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.79 ₽65.7

102.53%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$52.5K ₽4.4M

-32.60%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-13.52%

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

$119 R 1,955

$114 ₽9,507

4.14%

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

$29.42 R 485

$9.53 ₽796

208.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$17.79 ₽1,485

123.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$54.6 ₽4,557

-7.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$48.61 ₽4,057

-77.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$9.73 ₽812

-7.61%

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

$261 R 4,303

$183 ₽15.2K

43.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$85.4 ₽7,127

-34.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$36.31 ₽3,030

-8.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$72.6 ₽6,059

67.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$95.5 ₽7,968

13.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$600 ₽50.1K

71.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$428 ₽35.7K

68.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$846 ₽70.6K

116.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$719 ₽60.0K

89.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,367 ₽114.1K

76.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$859 ₽71.7K

75.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$554 ₽46.3K

197.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-52.30%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Arkhangelsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Arkhangelsk

$428 36.7% 40.5% $291

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Arkhangelsk

$211 18.1% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Arkhangelsk

$141 12.1% 24.8% $47

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Arkhangelsk

$123 * 10.5% 30.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Arkhangelsk

$130 11.2% 9.1% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Arkhangelsk

$60 5.1% 21% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Arkhangelsk

$74 6.3% 7.7% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Cape Town and $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 197% 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: $47.00 in Cape Town vs $49.00 in Arkhangelsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $211, with Arkhangelsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

23:24 11:24 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

344,927

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Arkhangelsk 11,120 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arkhangelsk

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 Arkhangelsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Arkhangelsk differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,168 including rent). Arkhangelsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 197% 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: $1,028 in Cape Town versus $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Cape Town versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arkhangelsk runs roughly 19% less than in Cape Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,599 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arkhangelsk but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Arkhangelsk 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 Arkhangelsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.