Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,040 in Sanaa, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Sanaa $1,040

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,608 in Sanaa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Sanaa $1,608

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,175 in Sanaa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Sanaa $2,175

Cape Town costs about 51% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sanaa is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$6.46 YER 1,524

82.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$25.31 YER 5,969

83.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$9.75 YER 2,300

-38.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 YER 462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 611

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.82 YER 900

-35.34%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.17 YER 277

13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.60 YER 141

71.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.98 YER 468

-29.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.64 YER 387

-27.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.09 YER 492

0.96%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.57 YER 842

-15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$17.52 YER 4,131

-48.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.41 YER 1,984

-20.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$19.10 YER 4,504

-51.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.40 YER 802

-46.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.05 YER 249

80.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.21 YER 521

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.67 YER 393

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.51 YER 357

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.38 YER 326

7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.20 YER 284

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.68 YER 160

70.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 584

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 423

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 602

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$5.66 YER 1,336

-34.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.43 YER 102

251.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$86.3 YER 20.4K

-29.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$4.19 YER 988

-84.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$2.10 YER 494

-27.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$7.22 YER 1,704

-33.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$2.06 YER 486

-23.30%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$16.9K YER 4.0M

110.11%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$34.6K YER 8.2M

-8.23%

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

$116 R 1,920

$109 YER 25.6K

7.07%

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

$28.37 R 468

$23.35 YER 5,506

21.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$102 YER 24.0K

-59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$67.1 YER 15.8K

-27.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$16.03 YER 3,779

-30.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.97 YER 1,407

47.91%

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

$261 R 4,314

$118 YER 27.7K

122.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$2,130 YER 502.3K

214.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$42.48 YER 10.0K

30.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$121 YER 28.5K

-73.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$47.63 YER 11.2K

146.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$40.69 YER 9,594

163.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$222 YER 52.4K

356.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$94.7 YER 22.3K

655.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$408 YER 96.2K

341.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$276 YER 65.0K

382.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$4,240 YER 999.9K

-45.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$825 YER 194.6K

83.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$197 YER 46.4K

732.03%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Sanaa

$95 9.2% 86.8% $621

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sanaa

$272 26.4% 22.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Sanaa

$234 22.7% 26.1% $48

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Sanaa

$134 13% 22.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Sanaa

$113 11% 19.5% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sanaa

$103 10% 36.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sanaa

$79 7.7% 18.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $222 in Sanaa. 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 732% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $25.00 in Sanaa. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $272 in Sanaa – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sanaa 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 51% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,560 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,040 in Sanaa. That's a gap of about 51%.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Sanaa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sanaa 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. Sanaa costs $1,040 versus $1,568 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 Sanaa. 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.