Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sa'dah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa'dah: $776 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sa'dah
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Sa'dah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sa'dah

🇾🇪 Yemen

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sa'dah

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $776 in Sa'dah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sa'dah $776

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,197 in Sa'dah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sa'dah $1,197

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,619 in Sa'dah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sa'dah $1,619

Cape Town costs about 104% more than Sa'dah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sa'dah is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.16 YER 1,454

97.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$25.58 YER 6,034

77.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.79 YER 2,310

-39.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 YER 459

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 YER 604

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.65 YER 860

-31.51%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.14 YER 268

11.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.55 YER 129

78.18%

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

$2.06 YER 486

-36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.70 YER 401

-26.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.00 YER 472

11.50%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.70 YER 873

-15.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$17.27 YER 4,075

-47.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.59 YER 2,027

-19.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$18.90 YER 4,459

-50.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.43 YER 810

-46.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.01 YER 238

94.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.18 YER 513

-23.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.72 YER 405

26.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.46 YER 343

7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.32 YER 312

12.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.26 YER 297

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.64 YER 151

76.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.61 YER 615

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 YER 437

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 612

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.66 YER 1,334

-36.40%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.11 YER 971

-85.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.15 YER 507

-30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.31 YER 1,725

-30.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.11 YER 499

-26.54%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$16.7K YER 3.9M

116.62%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$35.4K YER 8.4M

-11.83%

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

$114 R 1,883

$108 YER 25.5K

5.92%

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

$28.91 R 476

$23.58 YER 5,563

22.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$101 YER 23.8K

-60.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.76 YER 1,358

58.85%

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

$259 R 4,264

$114 YER 26.9K

127.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,139 YER 504.7K

217.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$42.72 YER 10.1K

31.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$124 YER 29.4K

-73.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$48.66 YER 11.5K

147.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$40.96 YER 9,662

163.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

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

$311 YER 73.4K

426.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.25

-2.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sa'dah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sa'dah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sa'dah

$272 35.1% 21% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sa'dah

$232 30% 27% $49

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sa'dah

$129 16.7% 26.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sa'dah

$116 14.9% 19.1% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sa'dah

$15 * 1.9% 80.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sa'dah

$12 * 1.5% 82.9% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 427% 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 $26.00 in Sa'dah. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $272 in Sa'dah – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇾🇪 Sa'dah

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

49,422

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sa'dah 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sa'dah

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 Sa'dah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 104% more than Sa'dah, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,163 in Sa'dah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $776 in Sa'dah. That's a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $114 in Sa'dah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sa'dah, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sa'dah 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. Sa'dah costs $776 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 Sa'dah. 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.