Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,102 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,102 in Astana, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Astana $1,102

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,788 in Astana, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Astana $1,788

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,474 in Astana, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Astana $2,474

Cape Town costs about 42% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Astana is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$10.89 ₸4,936

8.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$37.77 ₸17.1K

23.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$7.71 ₸3,494

-22.70%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.50 ₸1,133

-1.20%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.11 ₸503

19.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.67 ₸302

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.29 ₸586

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$2.23 ₸1,012

64.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.25 ₸567

11.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.59 ₸268

101.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.62 ₸734

30.25%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.22 ₸1,007

35.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$11.83 ₸5,363

-24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.67 ₸2,570

17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$10.25 ₸4,648

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.80 ₸816

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.33 ₸1,056

-18.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.28 ₸1,035

-23.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.21 ₸1,003

-5.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.66 ₸298

134.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.42 ₸192

254.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.46 ₸662

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.92 ₸418

26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.25 ₸1,020

64.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$10.74 ₸4,868

-43.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.32 ₸601

5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.37 ₸1,076

-7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.23 ₸104

556.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$16.27 ₸7,376

274.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$2.15 ₸973

-70.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.11 ₸502

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$6.41 ₸2,904

-24.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.62 ₸280

154.84%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$24.1K ₸10.9M

47.11%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$30.2K ₸13.7M

5.30%

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

$116 R 1,920

$65.7 ₸29.8K

77.14%

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

$28.37 R 468

$9.81 ₸4,447

189.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$17.72 ₸8,036

129.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$56.6 ₸25.7K

-13.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$20.12 ₸9,123

-44.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$6.46 ₸2,927

36.69%

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

$261 R 4,314

$365 ₸165.3K

-28.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$11.6K ₸5.3M

-42.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$63.6 ₸28.8K

-12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$46.04 ₸20.9K

-29.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$117 ₸53.1K

0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$125 ₸56.7K

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$561 ₸254.2K

81.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$379 ₸171.9K

88.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,103 ₸500.3K

63.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$767 ₸347.9K

73.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,553 ₸704.3K

50.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,117 ₸506.6K

35.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$876 ₸397.4K

86.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

15.5

-29.23%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Astana: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Astana

$379 34.2% 47% $336

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Astana

$224 20.2% 0.8% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Astana

$93 8.4% 49.7% $92

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Astana

$158 14.3% 8.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Astana

$158 14.3% 12.7% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Astana

$25 2.3% 67% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Astana

$70 6.3% 4.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $561 in Astana. 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 87% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Astana. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $224 in Astana – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

4 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

814,400 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Astana 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town, $1,102 in Astana – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,653 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $365 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Astana, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Astana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Astana to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Astana. 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.