Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,046 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,046 in Arzamas.

Cape Town $1,586
Arzamas $1,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,613 in Arzamas.

Cape Town $2,425
Arzamas $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $2,180 in Arzamas.

Cape Town $3,263
Arzamas $2,180

Living in Cape Town is roughly 52% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Arzamas is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.13 ₽846

19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.19 ₽2,853

32.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.83 ₽570

-13.91%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.74 ₽229

-8.76%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.06 ₽88.3

19.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.52 ₽43.61

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.85 ₽154

61.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.82 ₽235

31.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.10 ₽91.8

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.65 ₽54.1

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.33 ₽111

67.67%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.77 ₽147

75.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.77 ₽815

-7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.87 ₽490

17.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.33 ₽1,029

-24.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.71 ₽143

7.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.66 ₽139

18.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.79 ₽149

-6.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.94 ₽246

-26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.67 ₽56.2

134.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.52 ₽43.63

184.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.46 ₽122

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.70 ₽58.6

61.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.38 ₽282

6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.60 ₽551

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.09 ₽90.8

26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.03 ₽170

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.55 ₽46.05

172.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.21 ₽184

-73.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.34 ₽28.04

341.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.49 ₽542

-21.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.84 ₽70.4

84.52%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.8K ₽3.0M

1.23%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$27.7K ₽2.3M

12.65%

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

$114 R 1,883

$134 ₽11.2K

-14.61%

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

$28.91 R 476

$6.62 ₽553

336.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$8.25 ₽689

381.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.02 ₽2,672

53.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.36 ₽1,699

-46.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.66 ₽556

37.39%

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

$259 R 4,264

$381 ₽31.8K

-32.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,116 ₽510.4K

11.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$85.8 ₽7,161

-34.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$51.7 ₽4,318

-37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$123 ₽10.3K

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$108 ₽9,050

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$302 ₽25.2K

238.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$318 ₽26.6K

125.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$474 ₽39.5K

285.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$562 ₽46.9K

135.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,064 ₽172.3K

15.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,375 ₽114.8K

12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

21.45

-48.86%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Arzamas

$318 30.4% 55.6% $399

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Arzamas

$206 19.7% 8.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Arzamas

$149 14.2% 18.7% $34

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Arzamas

$156 14.9% 11.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Arzamas

$166 15.9% 16.3% $23

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6% 91.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Arzamas

$45 4.3% 32.7% $22

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 $1,021 in Cape Town and $302 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $34.00 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $206 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

103,396

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Arzamas 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Arzamas differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,586 vs $1,046 including rent). Arzamas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $1,569 in Arzamas 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $302 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% 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 $1,046 in Arzamas – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,046 in Arzamas versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas 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 Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.