Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rahim Yar Khan

For one person, living is cheaper in Rahim Yar Khan: $447 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Rahim Yar Khan
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Rahim Yar Khan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Rahim Yar Khan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Rahim Yar Khan

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 Rahim Yar Khan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $447 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Rahim Yar Khan $447

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $645 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Rahim Yar Khan $645

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $842 in Rahim Yar Khan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Rahim Yar Khan $842

Cape Town costs about 255% more than Rahim Yar Khan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Rahim Yar Khan is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.42 PKR 393

754.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$10.76 PKR 2,977

321.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.45 PKR 1,231

32.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 PKR 744

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 PKR 1,429

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.80 PKR 222

212.50%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.30 PKR 84.0

323.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.15 PKR 42.39

553.33%

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

$0.73 PKR 203

78.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.47 PKR 130

165.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.65 PKR 180

243.08%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.13 PKR 311

175.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.23 PKR 895

180.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$2.50 PKR 692

176.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$4.40 PKR 1,218

111.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.47 PKR 131

291.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.34 PKR 95.0

476.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.52 PKR 143

221.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.35 PKR 95.9

520.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.37 PKR 103

324.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.26 PKR 71.9

469.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.18 PKR 49.02

622.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.27 PKR 73.8

318.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 PKR 504

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 PKR 792

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.20 PKR 609

63.64%

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

$0.10 PKR 28.35

1400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.70 PKR 194

-15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.38 PKR 104

294.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.24 PKR 621

128.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.20 PKR 333

29.17%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.0K PKR 6.9M

44.65%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

31.18%

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

$114 R 1,883

$147 PKR 40.7K

-22.18%

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

$28.91 R 476

$4.95 PKR 1,369

484.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$14.51 PKR 4,015

173.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$7.28 PKR 2,014

573.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$17.80 PKR 4,927

-38.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.25 PKR 1,177

115.29%

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

$259 R 4,264

$18.91 PKR 5,233

1268.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,022 PKR 282.8K

564.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$10.84 PKR 3,001

418.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$18.15 PKR 5,022

78.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$92.2 PKR 25.5K

30.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$25.55 PKR 7,071

323.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$128 PKR 35.3K

699.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$91.2 PKR 25.3K

685.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$275 PKR 76.1K

563.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$178 PKR 49.3K

644.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$547 PKR 151.4K

337.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$460 PKR 127.2K

235.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$88.5 PKR 24.5K

1752.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

12.5

-12.24%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rahim Yar Khan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Rahim Yar Khan

$91 20.4% 87.3% $626

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Rahim Yar Khan

$68 15.3% 69.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Rahim Yar Khan

$166 37.2% 9.1% $17

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Rahim Yar Khan

$36 8.1% 79.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Rahim Yar Khan

$66 14.8% 53.8% $77

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Rahim Yar Khan

$3 * 0.7% 96% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Rahim Yar Khan

$16 3.5% 76.6% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $128 in Rahim Yar Khan. 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 1752% 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 Rahim Yar Khan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $68.0 – making Rahim Yar Khan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇰 Rahim Yar Khan

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

3 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

420,419

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Rahim Yar Khan 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rahim Yar Khan

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 Rahim Yar Khan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 255% more than Rahim Yar Khan, 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 $670 in Rahim Yar Khan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rahim Yar Khan, 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 $447 in Rahim Yar Khan. That's a gap of about 255%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $18.91 in Rahim Yar Khan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rahim Yar Khan, where all-in costs run around $447, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rahim Yar Khan 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. Rahim Yar Khan costs $447 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 Rahim Yar Khan. 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.