Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,841 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sharjah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,841 in Sharjah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Sharjah $1,841

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,576 in Sharjah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Sharjah $2,576

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,312 in Sharjah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Sharjah $3,312

Cape Town is about 15% cheaper than Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cape Town and Sharjah sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Sharjah by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$5.97 AED 21.92

97.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$32.91 AED 121

41.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.29 AED 30.45

-28.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.35 AED 34.35

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.82 AED 14.02

-35.34%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.80 AED 2.93

66.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.29 AED 1.05

255.17%

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

$1.54 AED 5.64

-9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.19 AED 4.38

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.83 AED 6.71

15.30%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.21 AED 11.80

-6.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.64 AED 31.73

3.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.63 AED 24.36

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$11.46 AED 42.09

-18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.27 AED 8.33

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.67 AED 6.12

13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.30 AED 4.78

34.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.28 AED 4.72

63.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.03 AED 3.79

50.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.12 AED 4.12

33.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.43 AED 5.26

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.61 AED 2.23

90.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.53 AED 57.0

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 AED 8.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 AED 9.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$6.31 AED 23.19

-41.20%

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

$2.16 AED 7.92

-30.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$27.07 AED 99.4

125.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$3.65 AED 13.42

-82.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.52 AED 1.91

194.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$12.07 AED 44.33

-60.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.94 AED 3.46

68.09%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$45.2K AED 166.0K

-21.46%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

44.16%

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

$116 R 1,920

$208 AED 766

-44.18%

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

$28.37 R 468

$49.40 AED 181

-42.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$96.1 AED 353

-57.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$53.5 AED 196

-8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$22.29 AED 81.9

-50.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$13.54 AED 49.72

-34.79%

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

$261 R 4,314

$325 AED 1,194

-19.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$8,433 AED 31.0K

-20.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$57.6 AED 212

-3.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$78.0 AED 286

-58.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$109 AED 401

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$96.1 AED 353

11.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$823 AED 3,024

23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$906 AED 3,329

-21.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,797 AED 6,598

0.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,402 AED 5,148

-5.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$8,241 AED 30.3K

-71.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$2,748 AED 10.1K

-44.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$2,191 AED 8,045

-25.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.5

143.78%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Sharjah

$906 49% 26.7% $191

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sharjah

$192 10.4% 13.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Sharjah

$354 19.1% 90.9% $169

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Sharjah

$123 6.6% 29.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Sharjah

$153 8.3% 9.2% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 44.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sharjah

$81 4.4% 21.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $823 in Sharjah. 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 34% higher in Sharjah, 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 $33.00 in Sharjah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $192 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

16:25 4:25 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,400,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sharjah 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sharjah

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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah costs about 17% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,761 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, 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 $1,841 in Sharjah. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 125% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Sharjah at $1,841. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sharjah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,841 in Sharjah. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sharjah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.