Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ibra

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibra: $978 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ibra
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Ibra Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ibra

🇴🇲 Oman

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $978 in Ibra, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ibra $978

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,478 in Ibra, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ibra $1,478

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,978 in Ibra, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ibra $1,978

Cape Town costs about 62% more than Ibra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ibra is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.10 OMR 1.96

138.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$39.13 OMR 15.07

15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.89 OMR 3.04

-25.48%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.20 OMR 2.00

-51.92%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.90 OMR 0.35

41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.29 OMR 0.11

237.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$12.76 OMR 4.91

-76.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$12.74 OMR 4.90

-70.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.24 OMR 0.48

0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.84 OMR 0.71

21.20%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.06 OMR 1.18

1.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.13 OMR 2.74

27.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.10 OMR 2.73

-2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.51 OMR 4.05

-11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.50 OMR 1.35

-47.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.97 OMR 0.76

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.34 OMR 0.90

-28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.28 OMR 0.49

69.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.15 OMR 0.44

36.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.29 OMR 0.50

14.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-30.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.66 OMR 0.26

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.53 OMR 2.51

-44.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$15.66 OMR 6.03

-60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$5.95 OMR 2.29

-76.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$10.26 OMR 3.95

-79.14%

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

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-81.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.53 OMR 0.97

-40.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.61 OMR 2.93

-32.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.59 OMR 0.23

162.71%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.8K OMR 9,914

40.61%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$22.9K OMR 8,826

36.29%

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

$114 R 1,883

$179 OMR 68.8

-36.01%

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

$28.91 R 476

$30.97 OMR 11.92

-6.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$70.0 OMR 26.95

-43.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$31.32 OMR 12.06

56.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$18.31 OMR 7.05

-39.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.17 OMR 2.76

27.62%

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

$259 R 4,264

$289 OMR 111

-10.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.7K OMR 4,120

-36.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$56.2 OMR 21.62

0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$43.05 OMR 16.57

-24.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$89.8 OMR 34.57

34.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.3 OMR 33.62

23.76%

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

$4,091 OMR 1,575

-59.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ibra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ibra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ibra

$292 29.8% 29.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ibra

$280 28.6% 52.8% $97

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ibra

$221 22.6% 25.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ibra

$124 12.7% 12.9% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ibra

$16 * 1.6% 78.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ibra

$46 4.7% 32.2% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 150% higher in Ibra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $39.00 in Ibra. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $292 in Ibra – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Ibra

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

13:06 1:06 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

35,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ibra 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ibra

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 Ibra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 62% more than Ibra, 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 $1,467 in Ibra. 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 $978 in Ibra. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $289 in Ibra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ibra, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ibra 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. Ibra costs $978 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 Ibra. 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.