Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Saham

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $959 in Saham, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Saham $959

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,439 in Saham, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Saham $1,439

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,920 in Saham, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Saham $1,920

Cape Town costs about 65% more than Saham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Saham is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.12 OMR 1.97

137.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$39.33 OMR 15.14

15.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.81 OMR 3.01

-24.71%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.21 OMR 2.00

-52.02%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.91 OMR 0.35

39.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.29 OMR 0.11

237.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-77.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-71.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-44.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.20 OMR 0.46

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.87 OMR 0.72

19.25%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.92 OMR 1.13

6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.49 OMR 2.88

20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.00 OMR 2.69

-1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$10.70 OMR 4.12

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.54 OMR 1.36

-48.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.99 OMR 0.77

-1.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.32 OMR 0.89

-28.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.27 OMR 0.49

70.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.21 OMR 0.47

29.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.23 OMR 0.47

20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-30.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.66 OMR 0.25

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.46 OMR 2.49

-44.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$15.88 OMR 6.11

-61.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-77.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$10.14 OMR 3.91

-78.90%

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

$3.29 OMR 1.27

-82.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-42.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.82 OMR 3.01

-34.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.60 OMR 0.23

158.33%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.1K OMR 9,647

44.50%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$22.6K OMR 8,688

38.47%

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

$114 R 1,883

$180 OMR 69.3

-36.45%

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

$28.91 R 476

$30.60 OMR 11.78

-5.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$70.6 OMR 27.18

-43.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.45 OMR 4.02

-12.44%

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

$259 R 4,264

$282 OMR 109

-8.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.4K OMR 4,008

-34.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$56.6 OMR 21.78

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$42.91 OMR 16.52

-24.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$89.8 OMR 34.57

34.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.0 OMR 33.51

24.19%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Saham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Saham

$293 30.5% 30.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Saham

$281 29.3% 53.6% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Saham

$223 23.3% 26.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Saham

$124 13% 12.9% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Saham

$16 * 1.7% 78.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Saham

$21 * 2.2% 68.9% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $39.00 in Saham. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $293 in Saham – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Saham

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Saham 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Saham

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 Saham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 65% more than Saham, 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 $1,439 in Saham. 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 $959 in Saham. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $282 in Saham. 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 Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Saham 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. Saham costs $959 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 Saham. 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.