Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,199 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Madinat Hamad

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,199 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Madinat Hamad $1,199

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,913 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Madinat Hamad $1,913

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,626 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Madinat Hamad $2,626

Cape Town costs about 32% more than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Madinat Hamad is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.61 BHD 0.99

365.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$53.1 BHD 20.02

-14.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.30 BHD 2.76

-19.45%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-3.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.90 BHD 0.34

41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.30 BHD 0.11

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$6.48 BHD 2.44

-53.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$9.81 BHD 3.70

-62.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.40 BHD 0.53

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.04 BHD 0.39

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.38 BHD 0.90

-6.30%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.06 BHD 0.78

50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.59 BHD 3.24

5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.38 BHD 2.41

8.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.70 BHD 3.28

6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.16 BHD 0.82

-14.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.55 BHD 0.58

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.93 BHD 0.73

-13.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.33 BHD 0.50

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.02 BHD 0.38

53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.09 BHD 0.41

35.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.55 BHD 0.21

105.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.35 BHD 2.02

-32.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$18.44 BHD 6.96

-66.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$3.67 BHD 1.39

-62.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.58 BHD 0.97

-17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.63 BHD 0.24

138.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$34.67 BHD 13.09

75.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-88.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$15.62 BHD 5.90

-67.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.39 BHD 0.15

297.44%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$37.6K BHD 14.2K

-3.78%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.7K BHD 7,822

50.75%

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

$114 R 1,883

$155 BHD 58.4

-26.13%

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

$28.91 R 476

$24.29 BHD 9.17

19.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$18.20 BHD 6.87

118.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$119 BHD 45.06

-58.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$52.4 BHD 19.76

-79.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.16 BHD 1.95

77.33%

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

$259 R 4,264

$489 BHD 185

-47.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$11.0K BHD 4,170

-38.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$50.1 BHD 18.90

12.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$58.5 BHD 22.09

-44.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$88.8 BHD 33.53

35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$88.9 BHD 33.54

21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$398 BHD 150

156.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$318 BHD 120

125.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$805 BHD 304

126.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$665 BHD 251

99.38%

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

$669 BHD 252

145.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.21

76.65%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Madinat Hamad

$318 26.5% 55.7% $399

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Madinat Hamad

$239 19.9% 6.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 7.8% $14

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Madinat Hamad

$131 10.9% 25.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 9.7% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Madinat Hamad

$56 4.6% 25.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Madinat Hamad

$130 10.8% 92.7% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $398 in Madinat Hamad. 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 145% 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 $53.0 in Madinat Hamad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $239 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

133,350

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Madinat Hamad 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Madinat Hamad

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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 32% more than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,798 in Madinat Hamad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, 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 $1,199 in Madinat Hamad. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Madinat Hamad, where all-in costs run around $1,199, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Madinat Hamad 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. Madinat Hamad costs $1,199 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 Madinat Hamad. 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.