Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Sur: $1,151 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Sur
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Sur Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sur

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,151 in Sur, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sur $1,151

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,657 in Sur, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sur $1,657

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,163 in Sur, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sur $2,163

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sur is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.99 OMR 1.54

204.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$26.52 OMR 10.21

70.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.60 OMR 2.93

-22.63%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.98 OMR 1.92

-49.80%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.74 OMR 0.29

71.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.25 OMR 0.10

292.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$12.86 OMR 4.95

-76.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$13.11 OMR 5.05

-71.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.59 OMR 0.61

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.24 OMR 0.48

0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.74 OMR 0.67

28.16%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.96 OMR 0.75

58.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.43 OMR 2.86

21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.90 OMR 2.66

0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.96 OMR 3.45

3.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.34 OMR 0.52

46.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.07 OMR 0.41

56.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.80 OMR 0.31

171.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.76 OMR 0.29

106.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.53 OMR 0.20

179.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.52 OMR 0.59

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.54 OMR 0.21

109.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.39 OMR 2.46

-43.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$15.37 OMR 5.92

-59.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$5.90 OMR 2.27

-76.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$10.29 OMR 3.96

-79.20%

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

$3.34 OMR 1.29

-82.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-42.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.60 OMR 2.93

-32.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.57 OMR 0.22

171.93%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$25.2K OMR 9,710

43.56%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$22.3K OMR 8,603

39.84%

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

$114 R 1,883

$80.7 OMR 31.07

41.64%

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

$28.91 R 476

$23.85 OMR 9.18

21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$69.6 OMR 26.81

-42.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$84.9 OMR 32.70

-42.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.47 OMR 4.03

-12.61%

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

$259 R 4,264

$285 OMR 110

-9.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,440 OMR 2,479

5.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$56.3 OMR 21.67

-0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$42.84 OMR 16.49

-24.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$89.5 OMR 34.47

34.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$86.4 OMR 33.26

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$263 OMR 101

288.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$271 OMR 104

164.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$473 OMR 182

285.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$387 OMR 149

243.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$562 OMR 217

325.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$529 OMR 204

191.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,638 OMR 1,015

-37.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sur

$271 23.5% 62.2% $446

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sur

$251 21.8% 11.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sur

$174 15.1% 4.8% $8.8

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sur

$209 18.2% 18.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sur

$124 10.8% 13.3% $19

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sur

$16 * 1.4% 78% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sur

$106 9.2% 57.3% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $263 in Sur. 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 61% higher in Sur, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $27.00 in Sur. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $251 in Sur – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇴🇲 Sur

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

120,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cape Town
Sur

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 Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Sur, 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 $1,727 in Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sur, 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 $1,151 in Sur. That's a gap of about 38%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $285 in Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,151, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sur 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. Sur costs $1,151 versus $1,586 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 Sur. 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.