Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,201 in Kaka, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. The total is higher in Kaka despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
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Kaka Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $2,201 in Kaka, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Kaka $2,201

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $3,296 in Kaka, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Kaka $3,296

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $4,391 in Kaka, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Kaka $4,391

Cape Town is about 29% cheaper than Kaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Kaka sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Kaka by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$31.81 TMT 107

-62.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$85.5 TMT 287

-45.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$12.84 TMT 43.13

-53.58%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$6.59 TMT 22.13

-62.52%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.58 TMT 5.31

-15.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.83 TMT 2.79

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$5.61 TMT 18.85

-46.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$13.77 TMT 46.27

-73.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$4.54 TMT 15.24

-69.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$2.05 TMT 6.88

-41.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$6.01 TMT 20.20

-64.89%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$5.90 TMT 19.82

-48.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$37.81 TMT 127

-76.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$20.30 TMT 68.2

-67.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$22.71 TMT 76.3

-59.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$4.93 TMT 16.56

-62.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$8.31 TMT 27.93

-77.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$7.44 TMT 25.01

-76.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$3.79 TMT 12.72

-44.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.32 TMT 7.80

-33.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.44 TMT 4.82

3.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.63 TMT 8.84

-50.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.11 TMT 3.74

4.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$26.04 TMT 87.5

-85.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$41.38 TMT 139

-85.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$5.06 TMT 17.01

-72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.82 TMT 9.49

-21.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$2.79 TMT 9.37

-77.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.89 TMT 2.98

71.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$8.71 TMT 29.28

-44.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.41 TMT 1.39

285.37%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$43.3K TMT 145.5K

-18.05%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$56.1K TMT 188.6K

-43.43%

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

$116 R 1,920

$561 TMT 1,886

-79.27%

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

$28.37 R 468

$56.9 TMT 191

-50.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$102 TMT 344

-60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.35 TMT 28.06

5.75%

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

$261 R 4,314

$22.89 TMT 76.9

1042.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$24.5K TMT 82.2K

-72.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$54.7 TMT 184

1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$114 TMT 384

-71.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$357 TMT 1,201

-67.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$190 TMT 638

-43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

9.5

15.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Kaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Kaka

$667 30.7% 200% $445

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Kaka

$721 33.2% 289% $535

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Kaka

$437 20.1% 152% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Kaka

$322 14.8% 129% $182

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Kaka

$7.2 * 0.3% 90.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kaka

$17 * 0.8% 74.9% $50

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 $85.0 in Kaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $667 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇲 Kaka

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

33,315

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, 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 = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Kaka 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kaka

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 Kaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaka costs about 40% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $3,301 in Kaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $2,201 in Kaka. That's a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $22.89 in Kaka. 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 Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Kaka at $2,201. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,201 in Kaka. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kaka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.