Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,085 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,085 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Qapshaghay $1,085

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,623 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Qapshaghay $1,623

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,161 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Qapshaghay $2,161

Cape Town costs about 47% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Qapshaghay is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$10.91 ₸4,930

10.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$22.55 ₸10.2K

106.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$6.49 ₸2,932

-4.47%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.73 ₸782

44.51%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.99 ₸445

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.69 ₸310

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.37 ₸619

123.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$1.35 ₸611

171.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.72 ₸778

-24.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.48 ₸216

164.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$2.08 ₸940

4.33%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.48 ₸1,121

24.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$12.49 ₸5,646

-28.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.49 ₸2,934

7.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$10.71 ₸4,841

-9.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.79 ₸809

4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.39 ₸1,079

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$3.03 ₸1,369

-41.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.79 ₸1,262

-21.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.80 ₸363

90.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.55 ₸249

183.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.60 ₸723

-17.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$1.04 ₸471

10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.63 ₸736

128.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$11.11 ₸5,021

-45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.26 ₸572

6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.48 ₸1,119

-14.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.16 ₸70.2

868.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$17.23 ₸7,791

255.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.87 ₸393

-31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.70 ₸315

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$4.03 ₸1,822

24.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.56 ₸254

185.71%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

57.06%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$29.7K ₸13.4M

16.56%

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

$119 R 1,955

$90.0 ₸40.7K

31.75%

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

$29.42 R 485

$10.64 ₸4,809

176.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$18.21 ₸8,232

118.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$41.59 ₸18.8K

22.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$6.82 ₸3,083

31.82%

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

$261 R 4,303

$146 ₸66.2K

78.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$4,474 ₸2.0M

55.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$91.5 ₸41.4K

-38.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$45.71 ₸20.7K

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$143 ₸64.5K

-14.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$132 ₸59.6K

-18.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$450 ₸203.3K

128.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$312 ₸141.1K

130.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$721 ₸325.8K

154.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$487 ₸220.2K

179.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,085 ₸490.3K

121.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$872 ₸394.4K

72.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

20.65

-46.88%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Qapshaghay

$312 28.8% 56.6% $408

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Qapshaghay

$248 22.8% 9.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Qapshaghay

$119 11% 36.7% $69

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Qapshaghay

$144 13.2% 18.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 29.2% $42

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Qapshaghay

$22 2.1% 70.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 19.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $450 in Qapshaghay. 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $23.00 in Qapshaghay. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Cape Town vs $248 in Qapshaghay – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

4 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

42,167

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Qapshaghay 10,490 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 47% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,627 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qapshaghay, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,085 in Qapshaghay. That's a gap of about 47%.

Public transport costs about 256% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,085, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Qapshaghay 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. Qapshaghay costs $1,085 versus $1,599 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 Qapshaghay. 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.