Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $528 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Homs
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Homs Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $528 in Homs, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Homs $528

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $795 in Homs, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Homs $795

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,063 in Homs, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Homs $1,063

Cape Town costs about 201% more than Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Homs is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.03 SYP 368

300.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$12.16 SYP 1,478

272.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.92 SYP 840

-15.03%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.62 SYP 75.0

303.23%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.22 SYP 270

-42.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.52 SYP 63.1

88.46%

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

$4.06 SYP 493

-8.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.81 SYP 97.9

60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.42 SYP 51.0

197.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.50 SYP 183

48.67%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.57 SYP 190

98.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.95 SYP 480

129.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.77 SYP 701

19.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.15 SYP 1,477

-23.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.60 SYP 73.3

206.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.40 SYP 171

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.58 SYP 70.2

187.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.33 SYP 40.31

557.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.55 SYP 66.4

185.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.79 SYP 96.5

87.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.27 SYP 32.61

381.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.66 SYP 80.1

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.48 SYP 179

143.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$3.77 SYP 459

63.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.72 SYP 87.6

91.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.94 SYP 357

-27.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.22 SYP 26.46

581.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$15.07 SYP 1,831

303.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.97 SYP 118

-39.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.52 SYP 185

-1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.98 SYP 241

158.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.22 SYP 148

27.05%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$13.2K SYP 1.6M

174.35%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$18.8K SYP 2.3M

65.81%

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

$114 R 1,883

$93.3 SYP 11.3K

22.50%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.52 SYP 1,157

203.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$45.79 SYP 5,564

-13.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$10.04 SYP 1,220

388.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.41 SYP 658

69.13%

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

$259 R 4,264

$53.8 SYP 6,543

380.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$904 SYP 109.8K

651.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$5.05 SYP 614

1012.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$20.04 SYP 2,435

61.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$60.9 SYP 7,399

98.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$30.39 SYP 3,693

255.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$123 SYP 14.9K

730.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$53.5 SYP 6,500

1240.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$352 SYP 42.8K

418.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$138 SYP 16.7K

862.85%

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

$72.3 SYP 8,790

2165.55%

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 Homs: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Homs

$53 10.1% 92.5% $663

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Homs

$146 27.7% 34.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Homs

$149 28.2% 18.8% $34

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Homs

$81 15.4% 53.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Homs

$52 9.9% 63.3% $90

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Homs

$25 4.7% 67.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Homs

$21 4% 69% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $123 in Homs. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2166% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $12.00 in Homs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $146 – making Homs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Homs

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

652,609

💱 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 Homs 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Homs

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 Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 201% more than Homs, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $791 in Homs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Homs, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $528 in Homs. That's a gap of about 201%.

Public transport costs about 303% less in Homs. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Homs, where all-in costs run around $528, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Homs 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. Homs costs $528 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 Homs. 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.