Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hyderabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Hyderabad: $443 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Hyderabad
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Hyderabad Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Hyderabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $443 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Hyderabad $443

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $686 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Hyderabad $686

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $929 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Hyderabad $929

Cape Town costs about 258% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Hyderabad is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.74 PKR 481

597.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$10.96 PKR 3,033

313.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.21 PKR 1,165

39.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 PKR 587

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PKR 1,603

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.03 PKR 286

142.72%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.35 PKR 95.5

262.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.22 PKR 60.5

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.80 PKR 223

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.56 PKR 156

123.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.20 PKR 331

85.83%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.28 PKR 354

142.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.36 PKR 1,207

107.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.19 PKR 884

116.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$4.04 PKR 1,117

130.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.07 PKR 297

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.43 PKR 119

355.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.63 PKR 176

165.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.47 PKR 130

361.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.31 PKR 85.2

406.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.34 PKR 94.1

335.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.42 PKR 115

209.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.44 PKR 121

156.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.91 PKR 253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 PKR 317

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 190

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.78 PKR 492

102.25%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.15 PKR 42.49

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.79 PKR 2,711

520.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.65 PKR 181

-9.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.16 PKR 44.06

837.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$0.70 PKR 193

630.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.21 PKR 334

28.10%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

101.43%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$25.5K PKR 7.1M

22.33%

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

$114 R 1,883

$112 PKR 31.0K

1.94%

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

$28.91 R 476

$5.61 PKR 1,553

415.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$13.22 PKR 3,658

200.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$22.84 PKR 6,323

114.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$3.52 PKR 973

212.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.54 PKR 981

158.47%

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

$259 R 4,264

$51.4 PKR 14.2K

403.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,339 PKR 370.7K

407.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$16.98 PKR 4,701

230.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$23.45 PKR 6,490

38.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$66.8 PKR 18.5K

80.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$40.77 PKR 11.3K

165.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$134 PKR 37.2K

659.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$76.1 PKR 21.1K

841.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$310 PKR 85.9K

487.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$214 PKR 59.3K

519.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$767 PKR 212.3K

211.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$157 PKR 43.4K

945.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

13.21

-16.96%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hyderabad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Hyderabad

$76 17.2% 89.4% $641

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Hyderabad

$86 19.4% 61.7% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Hyderabad

$131 29.6% 28.4% $52

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Hyderabad

$41 9.3% 76.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hyderabad

$67 15% 53.4% $76

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Hyderabad

$12 2.7% 84.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Hyderabad

$30 6.8% 55.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $134 in Hyderabad. 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 946% 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 $11.00 in Hyderabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $86.0 – making Hyderabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Hyderabad

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,732,698

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cape Town Hyderabad 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hyderabad

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 Hyderabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 258% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $664 in Hyderabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hyderabad, 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 $443 in Hyderabad. That's a gap of about 258%.

Public transport costs about 521% less in Hyderabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hyderabad, where all-in costs run around $443, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hyderabad 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. Hyderabad costs $443 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 Hyderabad. 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.