Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Semey

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $712 in Semey, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Semey $712

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,147 in Semey, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Semey $1,147

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,581 in Semey, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Semey $1,581

Cape Town costs about 123% more than Semey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Semey is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.00 ₸2,261

142.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$21.88 ₸9,891

107.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.48 ₸2,477

7.30%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.69 ₸764

47.93%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.79 ₸357

60.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.48 ₸216

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.85 ₸384

251.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.37 ₸621

171.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.99 ₸449

31.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.37 ₸165

237.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.86 ₸839

19.89%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.51 ₸681

105.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.36 ₸2,424

69.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.74 ₸1,691

85.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$5.28 ₸2,388

76.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.21 ₸547

52.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.73 ₸782

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.82 ₸821

-8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.67 ₸756

29.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.42 ₸189

273.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.56 ₸255

164.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.32 ₸595

-1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.99 ₸445

14.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.51 ₸1,134

43.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.13 ₸3,221

-13.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.37 ₸617

0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.20 ₸993

-2.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.23 ₸104

552.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$17.26 ₸7,802

251.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.30 ₸588

-54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.15 ₸519

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.52 ₸2,949

-21.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.68 ₸305

127.94%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.4K ₸11.5M

42.82%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$25.9K ₸11.7M

20.77%

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

$114 R 1,883

$32.84 ₸14.8K

248.11%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.06 ₸4,095

219.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$19.03 ₸8,604

108.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$42.09 ₸19.0K

16.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$10.97 ₸4,959

0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.55 ₸2,058

101.10%

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

$259 R 4,264

$135 ₸61.1K

91.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,484 ₸2.0M

51.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$28.65 ₸13.0K

96.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$25.32 ₸11.4K

28.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$98.0 ₸44.3K

23.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$74.0 ₸33.5K

46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$340 ₸153.6K

200.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$230 ₸103.8K

212.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$615 ₸278.1K

196.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$487 ₸220.1K

172.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,094 ₸494.4K

118.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$869 ₸392.9K

77.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

19.25

-43.01%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Semey: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Semey

$230 32.3% 68% $487

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Semey

$155 21.7% 31.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Semey

$61 8.6% 66.7% $122

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Semey

$89 12.5% 49.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Semey

$102 14.3% 28.8% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Semey

$25 3.5% 66.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Semey

$51 7.2% 23.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $340 in Semey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $22.00 in Semey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $155 – making Semey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇿 Semey

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

15:29 3:29 PM

4 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

310,456

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Semey 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Semey

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 Semey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 123% more than Semey, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,068 in Semey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semey, 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 $712 in Semey. That's a gap of about 123%.

Public transport costs about 252% less in Semey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semey, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Semey 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. Semey costs $712 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 Semey. 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.