Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Qarshi

For one person, living is cheaper in Qarshi: $573 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Qarshi

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $573 in Qarshi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Qarshi $573

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $882 in Qarshi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Qarshi $882

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,191 in Qarshi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Qarshi $1,191

Cape Town costs about 177% more than Qarshi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Qarshi is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.24 UZS 123.4K

18.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$16.77 UZS 202.1K

170.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.39 UZS 113.2K

-37.38%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.03 UZS 12.5K

142.72%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.52 UZS 6,305

144.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.16 UZS 1,945

512.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.69 UZS 8,343

333.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.26 UZS 15.1K

3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.41 UZS 4,917

204.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 UZS 13.9K

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.55 UZS 18.7K

100.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.25 UZS 123.5K

-11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.42 UZS 41.3K

102.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.73 UZS 129.3K

-13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.12 UZS 13.5K

64.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.71 UZS 20.6K

14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.81 UZS 21.9K

-7.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.23 UZS 14.8K

76.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.50 UZS 6,010

214.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.26 UZS 3,159

469.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.41 UZS 4,932

175.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.39 UZS 40.9K

6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.26 UZS 3,159

476.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.16 UZS 122.5K

497.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.35 UZS 4,242

328.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.34 UZS 16.2K

15.67%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$114 R 1,883

$68.1 UZS 820.1K

67.99%

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

$28.91 R 476

$3.68 UZS 44.3K

685.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$12.53 UZS 151.0K

217.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$33.55 UZS 404.3K

46.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,482 UZS 54.0M

51.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$270 UZS 3.3M

278.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$170 UZS 2.0M

321.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$419 UZS 5.1M

334.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$305 UZS 3.7M

334.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$358 UZS 4.3M

357.93%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Qarshi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Qarshi

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Qarshi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Qarshi

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Qarshi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Qarshi

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Qarshi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Qarshi

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $270 in Qarshi. 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 358% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $17.00 in Qarshi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $144 – making Qarshi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇿 Qarshi

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

289,600

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,549 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Qarshi 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Qarshi

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 Qarshi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 177% more than Qarshi, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $860 in Qarshi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qarshi, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $573 in Qarshi. That's a gap of about 177%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $17.00 in Qarshi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qarshi, where all-in costs run around $573, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Qarshi 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. Qarshi costs $573 versus $1,586 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 Qarshi. 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.