Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $809 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $809 in Shymkent, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Shymkent $809

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,366 in Shymkent, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Shymkent $1,366

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,924 in Shymkent, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Shymkent $1,924

Cape Town costs about 94% more than Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Shymkent is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$11.06 ₸5,015

6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$33.96 ₸15.4K

37.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$6.48 ₸2,936

-8.02%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.50 ₸1,133

-1.20%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.08 ₸489

23.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.50 ₸229

106.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.06 ₸481

183.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$1.30 ₸587

181.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.45 ₸659

-4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.44 ₸200

170.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.75 ₸793

20.57%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.65 ₸749

82.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$10.07 ₸4,567

-11.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.11 ₸2,317

30.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$8.41 ₸3,814

10.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.19 ₸541

53.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.17 ₸985

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.45 ₸1,109

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.35 ₸612

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.51 ₸230

203.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.40 ₸183

272.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.92 ₸419

41.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.79 ₸357

46.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.42 ₸1,098

53.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$4.40 ₸1,995

37.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.06 ₸483

31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.51 ₸687

45.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.15 ₸68.5

906.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.83 ₸378

-24.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.36 ₸164

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$9.79 ₸4,439

-50.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.60 ₸273

163.33%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$27.8K ₸12.6M

27.78%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$29.1K ₸13.2M

9.27%

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

$116 R 1,920

$47.16 ₸21.4K

146.78%

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

$28.37 R 468

$9.06 ₸4,107

213.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$15.10 ₸6,848

169.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$38.81 ₸17.6K

25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$8.55 ₸3,876

30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.63 ₸2,551

56.84%

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

$261 R 4,314

$56.9 ₸25.8K

359.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$35.94 ₸16.3K

54.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$33.11 ₸15.0K

-2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$181 ₸82.1K

-35.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$51.4 ₸23.3K

108.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$333 ₸150.9K

204.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$197 ₸89.5K

262.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$693 ₸314.1K

159.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$556 ₸252.1K

139.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,109 ₸502.7K

110.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$975 ₸442.1K

55.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$437 ₸198.3K

274.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

18.25

-39.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Shymkent

$197 24.9% 72.4% $518

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Shymkent

$182 23% 18.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Shymkent

$71 9% 61.5% $114

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Shymkent

$152 19.2% 12.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Shymkent

$136 17.2% 3.4% $4.8

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 95.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 24.7% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $333 in Shymkent. 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 274% 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 $34.00 in Shymkent. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $182 – making Shymkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

4 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,222,055

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

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

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Shymkent 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 94% more than Shymkent, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,213 in Shymkent. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shymkent, 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 $809 in Shymkent. That's a gap of about 94%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $56.9 in Shymkent. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shymkent, where all-in costs run around $809, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Shymkent 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. Shymkent costs $809 versus $1,568 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 Shymkent. 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.