Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohar: $1,403 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,403 in Sohar, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Sohar $1,403

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,068 in Sohar, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Sohar $2,068

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,734 in Sohar, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Sohar $2,734

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Sohar sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Sohar by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$6.48 OMR 2.49

81.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$20.49 OMR 7.89

127.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$9.19 OMR 3.54

-35.15%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$4.77 OMR 1.84

-48.22%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$0.64 OMR 0.25

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.28 OMR 0.11

267.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-77.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$14.46 OMR 5.57

-74.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$2.11 OMR 0.81

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$1.11 OMR 0.43

7.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-34.67%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$2.74 OMR 1.05

9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$13.31 OMR 5.12

-32.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$9.30 OMR 3.58

-28.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$14.55 OMR 5.60

-36.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-43.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$2.19 OMR 0.84

-13.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$2.49 OMR 0.96

-29.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$1.22 OMR 0.47

71.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$1.74 OMR 0.67

-10.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-16.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.70 OMR 0.66

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.90 OMR 0.35

28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$5.83 OMR 2.25

-36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$25.80 OMR 9.93

-76.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$3.79 OMR 1.46

-63.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$8.71 OMR 3.35

-74.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-42.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$51.1 OMR 19.65

19.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$3.19 OMR 1.23

-80.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$1.58 OMR 0.61

-3.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$10.21 OMR 3.93

-52.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$0.60 OMR 0.23

163.33%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$18.4K OMR 7,099

92.47%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$20.3K OMR 7,828

56.12%

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

$116 R 1,930

$102 OMR 39.40

13.71%

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

$28.37 R 471

$29.06 OMR 11.19

-2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$90.2 OMR 34.71

-54.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$49.40 OMR 19.02

-1.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$11.56 OMR 4.45

-23.62%

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

$261 R 4,336

$303 OMR 117

-13.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$7,070 OMR 2,721

-5.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$50.1 OMR 19.30

10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$43.95 OMR 16.92

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$78.4 OMR 30.17

49.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$46.23 OMR 17.79

131.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$503 OMR 194

101.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$378 OMR 146

89.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$827 OMR 318

117.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$665 OMR 256

100.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$1,178 OMR 453

97.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$765 OMR 295

97.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$2,514 OMR 968

-34.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.33

73.30%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Sohar

$378 26.5% 47.2% $337

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sohar

$346 24.3% 55.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Sohar

$222 15.6% 19.5% $36

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Sohar

$235 16.5% 35.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Sohar

$98 6.9% 30% $42

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 3.5% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 9.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $503 in Sohar. 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 54% higher in Sohar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $20.00 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $346 in Sohar – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

221,605

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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 = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sohar 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Sohar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,104 in Sohar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sohar, 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 $1,403 in Sohar. That's a gap of about 12%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Sohar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sohar, where all-in costs run around $1,403, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sohar 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. Sohar costs $1,403 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 Sohar. 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.