Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sin el Fil

For one person, living is cheaper in Sin el Fil: $1,004 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Sin el Fil
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Sin el Fil Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sin el Fil

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,004 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sin el Fil $1,004

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,609 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sin el Fil $1,609

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,214 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sin el Fil $2,214

Cape Town costs about 58% more than Sin el Fil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sin el Fil is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$12.21 LBP 1.1M

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$68.7 LBP 6.2M

-34.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.20 LBP 912.7K

-42.35%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.47 LBP 399.7K

-44.07%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-44.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.86 LBP 76.6K

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.05 LBP 451.6K

-40.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.83 LBP 432.5K

-22.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.98 LBP 176.9K

-34.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.84 LBP 74.9K

48.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.36 LBP 211.0K

-5.51%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.64 LBP 326.1K

-14.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.10 LBP 993.8K

-18.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$10.56 LBP 945.3K

-34.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$15.02 LBP 1.3M

-38.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.12 LBP 279.0K

-41.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.51 LBP 135.3K

43.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

23.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.54 LBP 137.7K

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.21 LBP 108.0K

7.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.68 LBP 61.2K

66.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.96 LBP 265.1K

21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$10.84 LBP 969.8K

-43.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.32 LBP 118.6K

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.55 LBP 228.5K

-16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$5.07 LBP 453.7K

-88.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.29 LBP 204.7K

-34.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$22.57 LBP 2.0M

-77.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.04 LBP 93.0K

49.04%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-32.08%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$32.0K LBP 2.9B

-2.39%

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

$114 R 1,883

$231 LBP 20.7M

-50.59%

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

$28.91 R 476

$22.20 LBP 2.0M

30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$37.55 LBP 3.4M

5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.07 LBP 901.1K

-9.14%

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

$259 R 4,264

$692 LBP 61.9M

-62.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.8K LBP 967.2M

-37.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$67.4 LBP 6.0M

-16.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$49.52 LBP 4.4M

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$140 LBP 12.6M

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$121 LBP 10.8M

-10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sin el Fil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sin el Fil

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sin el Fil

$277 27.6% 23% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sin el Fil

$291 29% 59.1% $108

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sin el Fil

$229 22.8% 30.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sin el Fil

$170 17% 19.2% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sin el Fil

$17 * 1.6% 77.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sin el Fil

$20 * 2% 70.1% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $69.0 in Sin el Fil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $277 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇧 Sin el Fil

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,916,100

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sin el Fil 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 58% more than Sin el Fil, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,506 in Sin el Fil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,004 in Sin el Fil. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $692 in Sin el Fil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sin el Fil, where all-in costs run around $1,004, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sin el Fil 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. Sin el Fil costs $1,004 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 Sin el Fil. 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.