Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Gardez

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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

$1,568

/mo nomad

Gardez

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

/mo nomad

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$17.01 ؋1,102

173.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

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

$1.33 R 22.03

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

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

$116 R 1,930

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

$28.37 R 471

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,336

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

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 4, 2026

Last update for Gardez: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Gardez

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Gardez

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Gardez

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Gardez

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Gardez

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Gardez

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Gardez

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $17.00 in Gardez. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇫 Gardez

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

10:01 10:01 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

70,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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 = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Gardez 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Gardez

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 Gardez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Families tend to lean toward Gardez – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Gardez. 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.