Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ta'izz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ta'izz: $669 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Ta'izz
🇾🇪 Yemen
$669
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ta'izz

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $669 in Ta'izz, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,586
  • Ta'izz $669

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,198 in Ta'izz, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,425
  • Ta'izz $1,198

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,727 in Ta'izz, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,263
  • Ta'izz $1,727

Cape Town costs about 137% more than Ta'izz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ta'izz is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.14 R 200
$6.31 YER 1,488
92.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.34 R 747
$25.89 YER 6,107
75.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.88 R 96.9
$9.57 YER 2,257
-38.56%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.14 YER 977
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.18 YER 1,223
-
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.18
$3.64 YER 858
-31.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.94
$1.16 YER 274
9.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 16.14
$0.55 YER 130
78.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 R 49.33
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 R 61.4
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.40
$2.06 YER 486
-36.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 R 20.68
$1.70 YER 402
-26.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 R 36.76
$2.07 YER 488
7.73%
Eggs
$3.11 R 51.2
$3.75 YER 884
-17.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.06 R 149
$17.38 YER 4,101
-47.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.92 R 114
$8.52 YER 2,010
-18.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.30 R 153
$18.62 YER 4,393
-50.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 R 30.25
$3.41 YER 805
-46.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 R 32.29
$1.04 YER 246
88.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.45
$2.25 YER 531
-25.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.70
$1.68 YER 397
29.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.81
$1.52 YER 359
3.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.45
$1.37 YER 324
8.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.41
$1.25 YER 294
4.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 18.60
$0.69 YER 162
63.77%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.49 YER 586
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.88 YER 443
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.58 YER 610
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.60 R 59.3
$5.36 YER 1,264
-32.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.15 R 101
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.66
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 R 35.20
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 R 24.65
$0.87 YER 204
72.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 R 9.71
$0.86 YER 204
-31.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 R 24.65
$2.09 YER 492
-28.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.11 R 84.2
$7.39 YER 1,743
-30.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 R 25.50
$2.11 YER 499
-26.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K R 596.5K
$16.7K YER 3.9M
116.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K R 514.8K
$34.7K YER 8.2M
-10.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 R 1,883
$83.8 YER 19.8K
36.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.91 R 476
$23.29 YER 5,494
24.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.73 R 654
$21.45 YER 5,059
85.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.01 R 808
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.99 R 181
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.15 R 151
$5.91 YER 1,393
54.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$259 R 4,264
$35.03 YER 8,263
638.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,794 R 111.9K
$634 YER 149.7K
970.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 R 926
$43.04 YER 10.2K
30.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.41 R 534
$122 YER 28.7K
-73.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 1,987
$41.53 YER 9,795
190.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,781
$40.75 YER 9,612
165.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
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
$383 YER 90.4K
375.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 R 21.9K
$216 YER 50.9K
514.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,391 R 39.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Ta'izz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,639 R 27.0K
$258 YER 60.9K
534.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
11.25
-2.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ta'izz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$717
Ta'izz
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$225
Ta'izz
$273 21.3% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$183
Ta'izz
$129 29.7% $54
Eating Out
Cape Town
$176
Ta'izz
$130 26.4% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Ta'izz
$111 22.2% $32
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
Ta'izz
$15 * 80.3% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
Ta'izz
$12 * 82.5% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 535% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $26.00 in Ta'izz. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $273 in Ta'izz – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇾🇪 Ta'izz
🕒 Local time
19:31 7:31 PM
20:31 8:31 PM
1 h ahead of Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
458,933
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Ta'izz 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Ta'izz

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 Ta'izz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Ta'izz?
Cape Town costs about 137% more than Ta'izz, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Ta'izz?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,003 in Ta'izz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Ta'izz?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $669 in Ta'izz. That's a gap of about 137%.
How do childcare costs compare in Cape Town and in Ta'izz?
Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $35.03 in Ta'izz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Ta'izz?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ta'izz, where all-in costs run around $669, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ta'izz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cape Town or Ta'izz?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ta'izz costs $669 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Ta'izz?
If budget matters most, go with Ta'izz. 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.

Cape Town vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?