Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hama

For one person, living is cheaper in Hama: $557 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Hama
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Hama Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Hama

🇸🇾 Syria

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $557 in Hama, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Hama $557

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $868 in Hama, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Hama $868

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,180 in Hama, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Hama $1,180

Cape Town costs about 187% more than Hama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Hama is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$7.62 SYP 926

58.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$30.44 SYP 3,699

53.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$2.70 SYP 329

129.63%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.16 SYP 141

115.52%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.26 SYP 275

-40.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.87 SYP 106

14.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.95 SYP 237

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$1.79 SYP 218

105.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.06 SYP 129

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.42 SYP 50.8

202.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.57 SYP 191

38.22%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.64 SYP 199

88.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$3.84 SYP 467

133.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$5.57 SYP 677

25.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$13.90 SYP 1,689

-30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.08 SYP 131

73.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.42 SYP 173

35.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.11 SYP 135

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.05 SYP 128

107.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.74 SYP 89.5

105.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.79 SYP 96.3

97.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.40 SYP 48.65

230.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.61 SYP 74.6

88.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.74 SYP 333

35.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$6.14 SYP 746

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.10 SYP 134

21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.91 SYP 353

-26.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.20 SYP 23.72

675.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$1.02 SYP 123

-41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.49 SYP 181

3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$7.89 SYP 959

-36.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$3.60 SYP 437

-55.56%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

136.60%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

78.12%

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

$119 R 1,955

$143 SYP 17.3K

-16.89%

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

$29.42 R 485

$9.32 SYP 1,132

215.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$23.15 SYP 2,814

71.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$5.39 SYP 655

66.79%

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

$261 R 4,303

$67.9 SYP 8,249

284.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$1,747 SYP 212.2K

298.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$28.42 SYP 3,454

97.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$39.97 SYP 4,857

-16.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$59.9 SYP 7,277

102.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$58.8 SYP 7,143

83.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Hama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Hama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Hama

$169 30.3% 25.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Hama

$175 31.5% 6.7% $13

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Hama

$109 19.6% 38.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hama

$84 15.1% 41.3% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Hama

$9.2 * 1.7% 87.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Hama

$11 * 1.9% 84.3% $58

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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $30.00 in Hama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $169 – making Hama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Hama

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

312,994

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Hama 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hama

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 Hama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 187% more than Hama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $835 in Hama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $557 in Hama. That's a gap of about 187%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $67.9 in Hama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hama, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Hama 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. Hama costs $557 versus $1,599 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 Hama. 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.