Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Wadi Musa

For one person, living is cheaper in Wadi Musa: $1,014 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Wadi Musa
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Wadi Musa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Wadi Musa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Wadi Musa

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,014 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Wadi Musa $1,014

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,317 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Wadi Musa $1,317

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,620 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Wadi Musa $1,620

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Wadi Musa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Wadi Musa is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$7.21 JOD 5.10

68.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$35.01 JOD 24.79

29.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.01 JOD 4.96

-16.12%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.85 JOD 2.02

-12.28%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.47 JOD 0.34

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.44 JOD 0.31

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$8.52 JOD 6.03

-64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$10.98 JOD 7.77

-66.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.67 JOD 0.47

86.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.38 JOD 0.98

61.59%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.39 JOD 1.69

30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.47 JOD 6.71

-4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.62 JOD 3.98

23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.34 JOD 8.03

-17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.43 JOD 1.01

28.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.43 JOD 1.01

37.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.43 JOD 1.01

16.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.70 JOD 0.50

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.70 JOD 0.49

124.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.69 JOD 0.49

114.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.60 JOD 0.43

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.41 JOD 0.29

175.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.60 JOD 2.55

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$21.55 JOD 15.26

-71.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$5.02 JOD 3.55

-72.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$5.03 JOD 3.56

-57.46%

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

$0.64 JOD 0.45

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.40 JOD 0.99

7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.02 JOD 4.97

-27.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.11 JOD 0.79

39.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.9K JOD 24.7K

3.62%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$35.1K JOD 24.9K

-11.05%

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

$114 R 1,883

$70.1 JOD 49.66

62.99%

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

$28.91 R 476

$4.26 JOD 3.02

578.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$14.25 JOD 10.09

178.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$35.70 JOD 25.27

37.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$11.18 JOD 7.91

-18.16%

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

$259 R 4,264

$486 JOD 344

-46.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,551 JOD 6,762

-28.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$64.5 JOD 45.63

-12.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$81.4 JOD 57.7

-60.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$124 JOD 87.5

-2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$85.6 JOD 60.6

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$353 JOD 250

189.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$278 JOD 197

157.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

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

$501 JOD 354

227.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.81

61.09%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Wadi Musa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Wadi Musa

$278 27.5% 61.2% $439

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Wadi Musa

$241 23.7% 6.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Wadi Musa

$89 8.7% 51.5% $94

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Wadi Musa

$181 17.9% 2.8% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Wadi Musa

$160 15.8% 11.9% $17

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Wadi Musa

$7.6 * 0.8% 89.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Wadi Musa

$58 5.7% 13.8% $9.3

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 $353 in Wadi Musa. 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 227% 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 $35.00 in Wadi Musa. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $241 in Wadi Musa – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇯🇴 Wadi Musa

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

14,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, 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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Wadi Musa 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Wadi Musa

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 Wadi Musa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Wadi Musa, 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 $1,521 in Wadi Musa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wadi Musa, 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 $1,014 in Wadi Musa. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $486 in Wadi Musa. 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 Wadi Musa, where all-in costs run around $1,014, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Wadi Musa 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. Wadi Musa costs $1,014 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 Wadi Musa. 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.