Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $630 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Az Zubayr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $630 in Az Zubayr.

Cape Town $1,586
Az Zubayr $630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,022 in Az Zubayr.

Cape Town $2,425
Az Zubayr $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,415 in Az Zubayr.

Cape Town $3,263
Az Zubayr $1,415

Living in Cape Town is roughly 152% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Az Zubayr is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.65 IQD 5,510

232.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$20.61 IQD 31.1K

119.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.13 IQD 9,269

-4.08%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.61 IQD 3,948

-4.21%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.36 IQD 545

252.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.21 IQD 325

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.24 IQD 4,903

-7.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.58 IQD 3,898

44.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.95 IQD 1,432

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.72 IQD 1,092

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.38 IQD 2,092

61.59%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.56 IQD 2,359

99.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.14 IQD 6,254

118.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.73 IQD 5,637

85.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.03 IQD 18.2K

-22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.84 IQD 1,277

119.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.97 IQD 1,468

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.89 IQD 1,350

87.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.69 IQD 1,046

214.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.56 IQD 849

180.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.51 IQD 765

190.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.51 IQD 767

154.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.44 IQD 661

156.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.85 IQD 2,795

94.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.37 IQD 14.2K

-34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.49 IQD 2,251

-7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.68 IQD 2,537

27.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.38 IQD 567

294.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$21.78 IQD 32.9K

178.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.98 IQD 2,990

-70.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.33 IQD 2,007

12.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.35 IQD 9,602

-19.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.59 IQD 885

162.71%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$17.4K IQD 26.3M

107.72%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$19.2K IQD 29.1M

62.42%

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

$114 R 1,883

$75.0 IQD 113.3K

52.43%

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

$28.91 R 476

$11.17 IQD 16.9K

158.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$22.29 IQD 33.7K

78.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$38.46 IQD 58.1K

27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.03 IQD 13.6K

1.33%

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

$259 R 4,264

$157 IQD 237.9K

64.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,436 IQD 3.7M

178.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$20.33 IQD 30.7K

176.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$23.82 IQD 36.0K

36.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$43.76 IQD 66.1K

175.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$30.83 IQD 46.6K

250.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$166 IQD 251.4K

513.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$125 IQD 188.3K

475.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$420 IQD 634.1K

334.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$351 IQD 530.1K

278.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$643 IQD 971.0K

272.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$493 IQD 744.3K

212.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.33

229.43%

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 Zubayr: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Az Zubayr

$125 19.8% 82.6% $592

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Az Zubayr

$152 24.2% 32.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Az Zubayr

$108 17.2% 40.7% $75

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Az Zubayr

$103 16.3% 41.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Az Zubayr

$53 8.5% 62.6% $89

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Az Zubayr

$32 5.1% 57.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Az Zubayr

$57 9% 16% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $166 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $21.00 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $152 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

370,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Az Zubayr 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Az Zubayr

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 Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Az Zubayr differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($1,586 vs $630 including rent). Az Zubayr 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 $945 in Az Zubayr 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 $166 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Az Zubayr – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $630 in Az Zubayr versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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 Az Zubayr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.