Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $492 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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 Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $492 in Mardan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Mardan $492

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $768 in Mardan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Mardan $768

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,045 in Mardan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Mardan $1,045

Cape Town costs about 223% more than Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.54 PKR 980

242.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$23.75 PKR 6,572

90.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.44 PKR 1,506

8.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 PKR 1,023

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 PKR 1,885

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.72 PKR 753

-8.09%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.32 PKR 89.6

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.23 PKR 63.8

326.09%

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

$0.91 PKR 252

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.72 PKR 199

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.28 PKR 354

74.22%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.16 PKR 320

168.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$2.82 PKR 781

221.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.14 PKR 870

120.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$3.89 PKR 1,076

139.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.93 PKR 258

97.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.71 PKR 196

176.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.07 PKR 296

56.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.38 PKR 104

471.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.27 PKR 73.8

481.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.36 PKR 99.1

311.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.28 PKR 77.1

364.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.37 PKR 103

205.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 495

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PKR 651

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.83 PKR 507

96.72%

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

$0.16 PKR 43.24

837.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.19 PKR 2,821

496.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.25 PKR 346

-52.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.69 PKR 192

117.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.58 PKR 436

223.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.06 PKR 292

46.23%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

66.36%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$24.6K PKR 6.8M

26.96%

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

$114 R 1,883

$101 PKR 27.9K

13.58%

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

$28.91 R 476

$5.88 PKR 1,628

391.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$16.89 PKR 4,674

135.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$16.54 PKR 4,578

196.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$7.15 PKR 1,978

53.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.42 PKR 1,224

107.01%

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

$259 R 4,264

$75.8 PKR 21.0K

241.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,028 PKR 284.5K

560.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$25.76 PKR 7,131

118.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$34.46 PKR 9,537

-5.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$94.6 PKR 26.2K

27.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$40.80 PKR 11.3K

164.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$127 PKR 35.0K

707.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$75.6 PKR 20.9K

847.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$253 PKR 69.9K

622.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$149 PKR 41.3K

788.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$830 PKR 229.7K

188.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$443 PKR 122.7K

247.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

13.08

-16.13%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Mardan

$76 15.4% 89.4% $641

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Mardan

$84 17.1% 62.6% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Mardan

$123 25.1% 32.5% $60

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Mardan

$80 16.2% 54.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Mardan

$88 17.9% 38.3% $55

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 79.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mardan

$25 5.2% 62.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $127 in Mardan. 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 $24.00 in Mardan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $84.0 – making Mardan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

358,604

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Mardan 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 223% more than Mardan, 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 $737 in Mardan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mardan, 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 $492 in Mardan. That's a gap of about 223%.

Public transport costs about 496% less in Mardan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mardan, where all-in costs run around $492, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Mardan 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. Mardan costs $492 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 Mardan. 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.