Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Pakistan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $481 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 171.1% more expensive than Pakistan without rent, and 225.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 162.9% more expensive than Pakistan without rent, and 245.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.78 R 194
$2.18 PKR 604
440.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 R 768
$13.87 PKR 3,838
235.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.96 R 98.4
$5.37 PKR 1,487
10.99%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.21 PKR 610
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.29 PKR 1,187
-
Cappuccino
$2.47 R 40.80
$2.00 PKR 553
23.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.91
$0.39 PKR 107
241.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.99
$0.23 PKR 63.8
347.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.01 R 49.72
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 R 60.4
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 R 22.96
$0.86 PKR 238
61.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 R 19.60
$0.63 PKR 174
88.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 R 34.84
$1.21 PKR 335
74.38%
Eggs
$3.01 R 49.58
$1.22 PKR 337
146.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.96 R 148
$5.35 PKR 1,480
67.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.65 R 110
$2.88 PKR 798
130.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.29 R 153
$5.12 PKR 1,416
81.45%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.13
$1.20 PKR 333
52.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 R 31.31
$0.65 PKR 180
192.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 R 28.83
$0.90 PKR 250
94.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 R 34.41
$0.54 PKR 149
287.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 R 25.64
$0.33 PKR 91.8
369.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.53
$0.41 PKR 114
263.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.41
$0.34 PKR 95.1
282.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 19.19
$0.41 PKR 112
182.93%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.01 PKR 557
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.08 PKR 299
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.22 PKR 616
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 R 61.2
$2.15 PKR 595
72.56%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 R 24.98
$0.19 PKR 53.8
694.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.0 R 1,006
$10.13 PKR 2,803
501.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.63 R 10.33
$0.88 PKR 244
-28.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 R 25.29
$0.53 PKR 146
188.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.81 R 79.4
$2.16 PKR 598
122.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 R 26.08
$1.29 PKR 358
22.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K R 585.7K
$18.4K PKR 5.1M
93.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K R 523.8K
$25.0K PKR 6.9M
26.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 1,920
$110 PKR 30.5K
5.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.37 R 468
$5.43 PKR 1,502
422.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.69 R 671
$15.97 PKR 4,421
154.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.85 R 806
$17.19 PKR 4,758
184.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.13 R 184
$11.36 PKR 3,144
-2.02%
Cinema Ticket
$8.83 R 146
$4.38 PKR 1,213
101.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 R 4,314
$45.75 PKR 12.7K
471.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,702 R 110.6K
$1,510 PKR 418.0K
343.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 R 914
$17.15 PKR 4,746
223.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.27 R 532
$24.18 PKR 6,691
33.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 R 1,939
$77.1 PKR 21.3K
52.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 R 1,766
$35.10 PKR 9,714
204.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 R 16.7K
$140 PKR 38.8K
624.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$715 R 11.8K
$79.5 PKR 22.0K
800.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,801 R 29.7K
$315 PKR 87.1K
471.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,330 R 22.0K
$173 PKR 47.8K
669.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,331 R 38.5K
$1,017 PKR 281.4K
129.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,513 R 25.0K
$538 PKR 148.9K
181.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Pakistan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,636 R 27.0K
$194 PKR 53.8K
742.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
14.1
-22.20%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Pakistan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$715
Pakistan
$79 88.9% $636
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$222
Pakistan
$95 57.4% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$185
Pakistan
$132 29.1% $54
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Pakistan
$60 65.4% $114
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$141
Pakistan
$69 50.8% $71
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
Pakistan
$14 80.8% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
Pakistan
$26 61% $41
Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🕒 Local time
09:38 9:38 AM
12:38 12:38 PM
3 h ahead of Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
223,773,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Pakistan 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Pakistan

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

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