Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Malatya

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $690 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Malatya
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Malatya Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Malatya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $690 in Malatya, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Malatya $690

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,039 in Malatya, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Malatya $1,039

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,389 in Malatya, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Malatya $1,389

Cape Town costs about 130% more than Malatya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Malatya is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.67 ₺231

159.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$25.82 ₺1,278

75.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.96 ₺345

-15.52%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.64 ₺81.1

52.44%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.92 ₺45.75

38.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.29 ₺14.35

237.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.30 ₺114

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.49 ₺173

6.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.80 ₺39.72

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.78 ₺38.78

60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.68 ₺133

-16.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.77 ₺87.4

75.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.94 ₺393

14.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$2.41 ₺119

187.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$16.71 ₺827

-44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.59 ₺78.8

15.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.53 ₺75.8

28.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.84 ₺41.57

98.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.76 ₺37.60

185.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.44 ₺21.62

256.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.34 ₺17.02

335.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.53 ₺26.06

145.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.45 ₺22.26

151.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.99 ₺98.6

80.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.97 ₺592

-48.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.98 ₺97.8

-30.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.25 ₺112

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.27 ₺13.26

455.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.89 ₺44.07

-33.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.45 ₺22.51

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.35 ₺66.8

14.81%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$37.8K ₺1.9M

-4.29%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$36.8K ₺1.8M

-15.01%

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

$114 R 1,883

$30.31 ₺1,501

277.17%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.97 ₺494

189.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$14.28 ₺707

178.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$34.88 ₺1,727

40.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.29 ₺262

72.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$15.28 ₺756

267.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$71.1 ₺3,520

-54.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$50.7 ₺2,512

137.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$30.33 ₺1,502

256.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$317 ₺15.7K

222.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$217 ₺10.7K

230.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$430 ₺21.3K

324.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$296 ₺14.7K

347.99%

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

$921 ₺45.6K

77.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-74.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Malatya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Malatya

$217 31.5% 69.7% $500

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Malatya

$192 27.8% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Malatya

$55 7.9% 70.2% $128

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Malatya

$101 14.7% 42.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Malatya

$75 10.9% 47.2% $67

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Malatya

$4.2 * 0.6% 94.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Malatya

$45 6.6% 32.5% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $317 in Malatya. 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 78% 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 $26.00 in Malatya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $192 – making Malatya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇷 Malatya

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

781,305

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Malatya 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Malatya

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 Malatya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 130% more than Malatya, 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 $1,035 in Malatya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malatya, 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 $690 in Malatya. That's a gap of about 130%.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malatya, where all-in costs run around $690, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Malatya 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. Malatya costs $690 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 Malatya. 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.