Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Cape Town costs about 428% more than Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$2.31 ؋149

409.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$15.68 ؋1,015

196.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$3.90 ؋252

52.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$1.19 ؋77.3

107.56%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$0.56 ؋36.07

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.32 ؋20.97

221.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$0.60 ؋38.87

131.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$0.15 ؋9.41

693.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$2.15 ؋139

-1.86%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$1.59 ؋103

89.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$7.92 ؋513

13.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$3.37 ؋218

97.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$6.23 ؋404

49.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$0.59 ؋38.23

210.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.17 ؋76.0

62.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$0.81 ؋52.6

116.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$0.61 ؋39.57

242.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$0.51 ؋33.06

203.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$0.40 ؋25.83

272.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.52 ؋33.75

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.32 ؋20.76

262.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$1.56 ؋101

137.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$0.80 ؋52.0

88.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$1.52 ؋98.7

216.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.49 ؋96.3

6.04%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$9,933 ؋643.3K

257.36%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

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

$116 R 1,930

$83.8 ؋5,425

38.94%

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

$28.37 R 471

$16.94 ؋1,097

67.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$11.69 ؋757

317.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$3.91 ؋253

184.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$4.72 ؋306

87.08%

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

$261 R 4,336

$78.1 ؋5,058

234.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$13.14 ؋851

321.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$18.75 ؋1,214

470.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$231 ؋15.0K

608.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 52.2% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 45.7% $85

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 72.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 89.8% $126

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 95.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 68.2% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 609% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $106 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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 = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Mazar-i-Sharif 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 428% more than Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $445 in Mazar-i-Sharif. 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 $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif. That's a gap of about 428%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $78.1 in Mazar-i-Sharif. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Mazar-i-Sharif 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. Mazar-i-Sharif costs $297 versus $1,568 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 Mazar-i-Sharif. 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.