Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Duqm

For one person, living is cheaper in Duqm: $310 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Duqm

🇴🇲 Oman

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $310 in Duqm, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Duqm $310

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $510 in Duqm, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Duqm $510

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $710 in Duqm, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Duqm $710

Cape Town costs about 411% more than Duqm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Duqm is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.01 OMR 1.93

142.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$13.12 OMR 5.05

245.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.41 OMR 0.93

3.73%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.51 OMR 0.20

149.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.34 OMR 0.13

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$7.98 OMR 3.07

-62.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$13.09 OMR 5.04

-71.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.68 OMR 1.03

-16.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.82 OMR 1.09

10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.18 OMR 1.99

33.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.42 OMR 1.32

-46.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.80 OMR 0.31

85.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.18 OMR 0.07

527.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$13.04 OMR 5.02

-83.59%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$114 R 1,883

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

$28.91 R 476

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$77.2 OMR 29.74

-36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

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

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Duqm: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Duqm

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Duqm

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Duqm

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Duqm

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Duqm

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Duqm

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Duqm

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $13.00 in Duqm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $95.0 – making Duqm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Duqm

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

12,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Duqm 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Duqm

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 Duqm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 411% more than Duqm, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $466 in Duqm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $310 in Duqm. That's a gap of about 411%.

Groceries cost about 137% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duqm, where all-in costs run around $310, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Duqm 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. Duqm costs $310 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Duqm. 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.