Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Multan

For one person, living is cheaper in Multan: $532 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Multan
Learn more

Multan Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Multan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $532 in Multan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Multan $532

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $748 in Multan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Multan $748

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $964 in Multan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Multan $964

Cape Town costs about 194% more than Multan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Multan is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.46 PKR 682

378.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$10.91 PKR 3,019

326.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$5.50 PKR 1,522

8.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 PKR 766

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 PKR 1,421

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.78 PKR 493

38.76%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.28 PKR 77.1

375.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.18 PKR 49.45

472.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.67 PKR 186

107.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.55 PKR 151

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.08 PKR 298

95.37%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.12 PKR 311

168.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$6.65 PKR 1,840

34.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$2.44 PKR 675

172.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$4.57 PKR 1,265

103.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$0.96 PKR 265

90.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.50 PKR 138

280.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$0.67 PKR 185

161.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.61 PKR 168

242.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.37 PKR 102

318.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.46 PKR 127

223.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.46 PKR 127

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.34 PKR 94.7

241.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.89 PKR 522

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 PKR 787

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.19 PKR 605

69.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.17 PKR 47.64

788.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$7.11 PKR 1,969

757.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.48 PKR 410

-57.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.38 PKR 104

302.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$0.93 PKR 258

417.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.15 PKR 317

37.39%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$25.5K PKR 7.0M

39.36%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$26.5K PKR 7.3M

19.94%

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

$116 R 1,920

$145 PKR 40.2K

-19.85%

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

$28.37 R 468

$4.96 PKR 1,373

471.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$19.12 PKR 5,292

112.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$24.09 PKR 6,667

102.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$3.52 PKR 974

216.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$4.42 PKR 1,223

99.77%

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

$261 R 4,314

$41.83 PKR 11.6K

525.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$1,007 PKR 278.8K

565.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$17.94 PKR 4,964

208.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$18.89 PKR 5,229

70.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$91.8 PKR 25.4K

27.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$26.09 PKR 7,220

310.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$143 PKR 39.7K

607.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$91.6 PKR 25.3K

681.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$216 PKR 59.7K

735.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$148 PKR 41.1K

796.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$184 PKR 50.9K

788.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-15.62%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Multan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Multan

$92 17.5% 87.2% $624

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Multan

$88 16.9% 60.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Multan

$169 32.4% 8.7% $16

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Multan

$59 11.4% 65.8% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Multan

$70 13.3% 50.4% $71

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Multan

$11 2.1% 85.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Multan

$33 6.3% 50.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $143 in Multan. 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 789% 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 $11.00 in Multan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $88.0 – making Multan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Multan

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,871,843

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Multan 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Multan

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 Multan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 194% more than Multan, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $799 in Multan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Multan, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $532 in Multan. That's a gap of about 194%.

Public transport costs about 757% less in Multan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Multan, where all-in costs run around $532, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Multan 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. Multan costs $532 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 Multan. 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.