Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kermanshah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kermanshah: $488 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kermanshah
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Kermanshah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Kermanshah

🇮🇷 Iran

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $488 in Kermanshah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Kermanshah $488

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $769 in Kermanshah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Kermanshah $769

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,051 in Kermanshah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Kermanshah $1,051

Cape Town costs about 225% more than Kermanshah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Kermanshah is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.02 $3.02

301.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$10.61 $10.61

327.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.67 $3.67

60.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.73 $0.73

242.47%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.87 $0.87

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.68 $0.68

44.12%

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

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.47 $0.47

165.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.00 $2.00

11.50%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.11 $1.11

180.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.51 $4.51

100.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.29 $3.29

110.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.48 $10.48

-11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.03 $1.03

78.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.54 $1.54

27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.86 $0.86

94.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.55 $0.55

294.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.53 $0.53

196.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.51 $0.51

190.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.61 $0.61

113.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.28 $0.28

303.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.87 $0.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 $0.58

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 $1.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.81 $2.81

28.11%

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

$0.13 $0.13

1053.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.99 $9.99

508.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.37 $0.37

59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.30 $0.30

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.84 $2.84

79.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.09 $0.09

1622.22%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$57.1K $57.1K

-36.63%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$40.1K $40.1K

-22.01%

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

$114 R 1,883

$12.72 $12.72

798.74%

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

$28.91 R 476

$1.75 $1.75

1552.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$4.15 $4.15

857.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$21.21 $21.21

131.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$11.88 $11.88

-7.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$1.71 $1.71

435.09%

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

$259 R 4,264

$122 $122

111.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,527 $2,527

168.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$21.56 $21.56

160.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$28.25 $28.25

14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$85.8 $85.8

40.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$77.9 $77.9

38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$287 $287

255.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$169 $169

324.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$434 $434

320.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$292 $292

354.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,123 $1,123

112.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$547 $547

181.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

24.3

-54.86%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kermanshah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Kermanshah

$169 34.7% 76.4% $548

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Kermanshah

$117 23.9% 48.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Kermanshah

$19 3.8% 89.8% $164

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Kermanshah

$50 10.3% 71.5% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Kermanshah

$96 19.7% 32.7% $47

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Kermanshah

$12 2.5% 83.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kermanshah

$25 5.1% 63.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $287 in Kermanshah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $11.00 in Kermanshah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $117 – making Kermanshah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇷 Kermanshah

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

946,651

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Kermanshah 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kermanshah

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 Kermanshah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 225% more than Kermanshah, 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 $731 in Kermanshah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kermanshah, 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 $488 in Kermanshah. That's a gap of about 225%.

Public transport costs about 508% less in Kermanshah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kermanshah, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Kermanshah 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. Kermanshah costs $488 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 Kermanshah. 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.