Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Muscat

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Muscat: $1,568 and $1,565 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,565 in Muscat, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Muscat $1,565

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,341 in Muscat, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Muscat $2,341

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,116 in Muscat, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Muscat $3,116

Cape Town and Muscat have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cape Town and Muscat sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Muscat by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$5.23 OMR 2.01

125.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$39.68 OMR 15.27

17.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$7.64 OMR 2.94

-21.99%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$4.97 OMR 1.91

-50.30%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$0.85 OMR 0.33

56.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.27 OMR 0.10

281.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$12.92 OMR 4.97

-76.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$13.23 OMR 5.09

-72.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$2.26 OMR 0.87

-38.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$1.18 OMR 0.45

0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.89 OMR 0.73

11.64%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$2.91 OMR 1.12

3.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$7.23 OMR 2.78

23.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.86 OMR 2.64

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$10.63 OMR 4.09

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$3.66 OMR 1.41

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.95 OMR 0.75

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$2.40 OMR 0.92

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$1.26 OMR 0.48

65.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$1.22 OMR 0.47

27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$1.27 OMR 0.49

17.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.86 OMR 0.72

-30.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.70 OMR 0.27

65.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$6.36 OMR 2.45

-41.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$15.54 OMR 5.98

-61.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$6.00 OMR 2.31

-76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$10.34 OMR 3.98

-78.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$1.29 OMR 0.50

17.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$77.2 OMR 29.70

-21.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$3.30 OMR 1.27

-80.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$2.56 OMR 0.99

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$7.82 OMR 3.01

-38.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$0.63 OMR 0.24

150.79%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$25.7K OMR 9,904

37.96%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$23.0K OMR 8,861

37.91%

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

$116 R 1,930

$177 OMR 68.1

-34.26%

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

$28.37 R 471

$30.49 OMR 11.74

-6.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$71.6 OMR 27.56

-43.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$61.1 OMR 23.53

-20.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$29.78 OMR 11.46

-62.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$10.45 OMR 4.02

-15.50%

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

$261 R 4,336

$282 OMR 108

-7.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$10.4K OMR 4,003

-35.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$57.6 OMR 22.17

-3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$43.41 OMR 16.71

-25.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$91.2 OMR 35.11

28.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$85.9 OMR 33.05

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$690 OMR 265

47.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$453 OMR 174

57.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$1,292 OMR 497

39.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$819 OMR 315

62.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$2,815 OMR 1,084

-17.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$1,609 OMR 619

-5.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$1,651 OMR 636

-0.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Muscat

$453 29.3% 36.7% $262

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Muscat

$291 18.8% 30.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Muscat

$279 18% 50.5% $94

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Muscat

$220 14.2% 26.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Muscat

$125 8.1% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Muscat

$98 6.4% 30.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Muscat

$82 5.3% 23.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $690 in Muscat. 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 1% higher in Muscat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $40.00 in Muscat. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $291 in Muscat – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,090,797 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Muscat 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Muscat

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 Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,347 in Muscat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muscat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $282 in Muscat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Muscat, where all-in costs run around $1,565, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Muscat 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. Muscat costs $1,565 versus $1,568 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 Muscat. 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.