Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Az-zabadani

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $648 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $648 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Az-zabadani $648

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,023 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Az-zabadani $1,023

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,397 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Az-zabadani $1,397

Cape Town costs about 145% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Az-zabadani is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.07 SYP 1,224

20.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.10 SYP 5,116

7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.20 SYP 875

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.65 SYP 444

-31.51%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.31 SYP 281

-45.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.89 SYP 108

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.98 SYP 240

51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.04 SYP 491

-7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.10 SYP 134

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.42 SYP 50.8

197.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.57 SYP 191

42.04%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.63 SYP 198

90.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.82 SYP 465

137.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.63 SYP 684

22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.89 SYP 1,689

-33.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.07 SYP 130

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.37 SYP 166

43.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.15 SYP 140

45.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.07 SYP 129

102.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.78 SYP 95.0

101.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.77 SYP 93.0

92.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.40 SYP 49.17

225.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.62 SYP 75.8

82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.84 SYP 345

26.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.12 SYP 744

0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.06 SYP 129

30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.95 SYP 359

-27.46%

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

$1.02 SYP 123

-42.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.56 SYP 190

-3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.66 SYP 931

-33.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$3.71 SYP 450

-58.22%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$14.7K SYP 1.8M

145.82%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$19.2K SYP 2.3M

62.98%

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

$114 R 1,883

$142 SYP 17.2K

-19.42%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.50 SYP 1,154

204.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$46.91 SYP 5,701

-15.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.60 SYP 681

63.39%

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

$259 R 4,264

$67.5 SYP 8,203

283.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,751 SYP 212.8K

288.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$28.20 SYP 3,427

99.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$40.59 SYP 4,933

-20.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$59.6 SYP 7,245

102.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$57.6 SYP 6,997

87.70%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

14.25

-23.02%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Az-zabadani: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Az-zabadani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Az-zabadani

$169 26.1% 24.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Az-zabadani

$198 30.6% 8.4% $15

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Az-zabadani

$177 27.3% 0.4% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Az-zabadani

$84 12.9% 41.4% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Az-zabadani

$8.8 * 1.4% 88.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7% 83.3% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $42.00 in Az-zabadani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $169 – making Az-zabadani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

26,285

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Az-zabadani 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 145% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $972 in Az-zabadani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $42.00 in Az-zabadani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Az-zabadani, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Az-zabadani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Az-zabadani costs $648 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Az-zabadani. 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.