Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $418 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $418 in Quetta, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Quetta $418

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $625 in Quetta, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Quetta $625

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $833 in Quetta, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Quetta $833

Cape Town costs about 280% more than Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Quetta is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.72 PKR 1,029

226.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$10.99 PKR 3,041

312.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.39 PKR 1,216

33.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,414

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.59 PKR 439

57.23%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.39 PKR 107

225.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.22 PKR 60.0

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.75 PKR 208

73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.56 PKR 156

123.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.27 PKR 352

75.59%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.17 PKR 323

165.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.95 PKR 1,370

83.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$2.95 PKR 818

134.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$5.14 PKR 1,422

80.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.98 PKR 271

87.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.53 PKR 147

269.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.76 PKR 209

119.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.50 PKR 140

334.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.32 PKR 89.2

390.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.52 PKR 145

184.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.42 PKR 117

209.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.40 PKR 110

182.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.85 PKR 512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PKR 259

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 673

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.03 PKR 563

77.34%

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

$0.13 PKR 37.02

1053.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.56 PKR 2,924

475.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.03 PKR 286

-42.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.43 PKR 118

248.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.83 PKR 507

179.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.14 PKR 316

35.96%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$19.2K PKR 5.3M

88.67%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$24.1K PKR 6.7M

29.66%

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

$114 R 1,883

$101 PKR 28.1K

12.77%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.92 PKR 2,191

265.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$16.49 PKR 4,565

140.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$5.73 PKR 1,587

755.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$7.93 PKR 2,194

38.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.17 PKR 877

188.64%

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

$259 R 4,264

$35.15 PKR 9,727

636.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,026 PKR 284.0K

562.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$8.14 PKR 2,252

590.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$23.53 PKR 6,511

37.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$69.2 PKR 19.1K

74.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$34.48 PKR 9,543

213.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$73.1 PKR 20.2K

1296.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$50.3 PKR 13.9K

1326.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$163 PKR 45.2K

1016.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$99.8 PKR 27.6K

1229.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$381 PKR 105.4K

527.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$218 PKR 60.2K

608.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$276 PKR 76.3K

494.30%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Quetta

$50 12% 93% $667

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Quetta

$90 21.6% 60% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Quetta

$126 30.1% 31.3% $57

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 63.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Quetta

$61 14.6% 57.4% $82

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Quetta

$14 3.4% 80.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Quetta

$12 2.9% 82.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $73.1 in Quetta. 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 494% 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 $11.00 in Quetta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $90.0 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,001,205

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Quetta 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 280% more than Quetta, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $626 in Quetta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, 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 $418 in Quetta. That's a gap of about 280%.

Public transport costs about 475% less in Quetta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quetta, where all-in costs run around $418, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Quetta 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. Quetta costs $418 versus $1,586 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 Quetta. 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.