Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Say'un

For one person, living is cheaper in Say'un: $91.3 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Say'un

🇾🇪 Yemen

$91.3

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Say'un

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $91.3 in Say'un, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Say'un $91.3

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $151 in Say'un, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Say'un $151

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $211 in Say'un, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Say'un $211

Cape Town costs about 1617% more than Say'un, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Say'un is 93% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 770

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.7

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.92

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

$1.33 R 21.98

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.02

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.66

$1.12 YER 265

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.94

$2.17 YER 512

-2.76%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.73

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.22

$2.18 YER 513

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.40

$2.14 YER 506

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$2.19 YER 516

-20.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.51

$2.22 YER 524

-5.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.72

$2.18 YER 515

-28.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.60

$2.15 YER 506

-30.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.48

$1.01 YER 238

28.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.25

$1.02 YER 241

13.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 YER 342

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.3

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.42

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,009

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.36

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.16

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

$35.5K R 587.4K

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

$31.7K R 525.4K

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

$116 R 1,926

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

$28.37 R 469

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 673

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,326

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 917

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,944

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,771

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Say'un: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Say'un

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Say'un

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Say'un

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Say'un

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Say'un

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Say'un

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Say'un

–

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇾🇪 Say'un

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

48,037

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 16.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 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 Say'un 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Say'un

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 Say'un: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 1617% more than Say'un, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $137 in Say'un. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $91.3 in Say'un. That's a gap of about 1617%.

Groceries cost about 145% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Say'un, where all-in costs run around $91.3, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Say'un 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. Say'un costs $91.3 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 Say'un. 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.