Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Tartus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $637 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tartus
Learn more

Tartus Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Tartus

🇸🇾 Syria

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $637 in Tartus, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Tartus $637

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $991 in Tartus, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Tartus $991

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,345 in Tartus, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Tartus $1,345

Cape Town costs about 149% more than Tartus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Tartus is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.13 SYP 1,231

19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.29 SYP 5,139

7.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.90 SYP 838

-14.78%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.70 SYP 450

-32.43%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.29 SYP 279

-44.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.89 SYP 108

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.96 SYP 238

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.90 SYP 474

-4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.48 SYP 58.3

170.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.41 SYP 50.2

204.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.80 SYP 97.6

178.75%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$0.79 SYP 96.1

293.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.88 SYP 471

133.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.14 SYP 381

120.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.62 SYP 1,655

-31.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.07 SYP 130

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.36 SYP 166

44.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.14 SYP 138

46.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.22 SYP 26.60

886.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.22 SYP 26.68

613.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.30 SYP 36.27

393.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.41 SYP 49.80

217.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.61 SYP 74.7

85.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.75 SYP 334

30.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.09 SYP 740

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.11 SYP 135

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.83 SYP 343

-24.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.30 SYP 36.12

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.03 SYP 125

-42.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.48 SYP 180

1.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.62 SYP 925

-32.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$3.72 SYP 452

-58.33%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$14.9K SYP 1.8M

142.97%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

60.32%

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

$114 R 1,883

$141 SYP 17.1K

-18.78%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.90 SYP 1,204

192.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$19.67 SYP 2,390

101.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$5.74 SYP 697

753.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.37 SYP 653

70.39%

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

$259 R 4,264

$9.36 SYP 1,137

2665.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,772 SYP 215.3K

283.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$11.62 SYP 1,412

383.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$40.15 SYP 4,879

-19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$45.36 SYP 5,513

165.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$15.54 SYP 1,888

595.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$114 SYP 13.9K

794.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$77.5 SYP 9,415

825.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$230 SYP 28.0K

691.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$116 SYP 14.1K

1045.39%

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

$49.08 SYP 5,964

3238.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

14.25

-23.02%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tartus: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Tartus

$77 12.2% 89.2% $639

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Tartus

$136 21.4% 39.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Tartus

$170 26.7% 6.9% $13

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Tartus

$176 27.7% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Tartus

$51 8% 64.5% $92

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Tartus

$9.6 * 1.5% 87.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Tartus

$16 2.6% 75.5% $51

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 $114 in Tartus. 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 3239% 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 $42.00 in Tartus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $136 – making Tartus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇾 Tartus

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

115,769

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Tartus 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Tartus

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 Tartus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 149% more than Tartus, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $956 in Tartus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tartus, 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 $637 in Tartus. That's a gap of about 149%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $9.36 in Tartus. 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 Tartus, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Tartus 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. Tartus costs $637 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 Tartus. 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.