Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $628 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $628 in Taraz, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Taraz $628

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,004 in Taraz, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Taraz $1,004

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,381 in Taraz, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Taraz $1,381

Cape Town costs about 153% more than Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Taraz is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$8.97 ₸4,056

35.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$22.50 ₸10.2K

101.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.75 ₸3,051

-12.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.53 ₸691

63.40%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.85 ₸383

49.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.45 ₸204

117.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.13 ₸510

164.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.81 ₸818

105.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.09 ₸491

19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.43 ₸196

190.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.30 ₸589

71.54%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.68 ₸761

85.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.13 ₸4,580

-10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.19 ₸2,346

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.39 ₸3,794

10.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.15 ₸519

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.21 ₸997

-11.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.48 ₸1,122

-32.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.37 ₸621

58.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.56 ₸251

180.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.40 ₸181

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.91 ₸411

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.84 ₸380

34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.42 ₸1,093

48.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.41 ₸1,995

39.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.04 ₸468

32.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.54 ₸696

38.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.18 ₸82.4

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.85 ₸385

-30.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.35 ₸158

328.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.07 ₸1,839

25.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.66 ₸301

134.85%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

28.76%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$27.6K ₸12.5M

13.13%

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

$114 R 1,883

$47.60 ₸21.5K

140.17%

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

$28.91 R 476

$8.76 ₸3,960

230.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$9.00 ₸4,068

341.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$35.98 ₸16.3K

36.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.42 ₸1,996

107.01%

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

$259 R 4,264

$58.8 ₸26.6K

340.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$26.80 ₸12.1K

109.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$34.70 ₸15.7K

-6.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$113 ₸50.9K

7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$52.6 ₸23.8K

105.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$270 ₸121.9K

278.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$110 ₸49.6K

553.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$449 ₸203.2K

305.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$200 ₸90.4K

563.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$865 ₸391.1K

176.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$611 ₸276.3K

152.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$272 ₸123.0K

502.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

17.83

-38.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Taraz

$110 17.5% 84.7% $607

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Taraz

$178 28.3% 21% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Taraz

$65 10.4% 64.3% $118

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Taraz

$125 19.9% 29.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Taraz

$102 16.3% 28.5% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Taraz

$3.3 * 0.5% 95.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Taraz

$45 7.1% 33.4% $23

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 $270 in Taraz. 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 502% 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 $22.00 in Taraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $178 – making Taraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

4 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

431,160

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 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 Taraz 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 153% more than Taraz, 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 $942 in Taraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taraz, 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 $628 in Taraz. That's a gap of about 153%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $58.8 in Taraz. 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 Taraz, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Taraz 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. Taraz costs $628 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 Taraz. 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.