Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Yaroslavl

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaroslavl: $844 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Yaroslavl
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Yaroslavl Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Yaroslavl

🇷🇺 Russia

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $844 in Yaroslavl, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Yaroslavl $844

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,334 in Yaroslavl, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Yaroslavl $1,334

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,824 in Yaroslavl, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Yaroslavl $1,824

Cape Town costs about 88% more than Yaroslavl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Yaroslavl is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.03 ₽504

101.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$30.38 ₽2,535

49.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.98 ₽582

-15.76%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.75 ₽229

-9.09%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.98 ₽81.7

29.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.53 ₽44.60

84.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.99 ₽82.4

202.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.40 ₽117

165.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.92 ₽76.5

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.86 ₽71.8

45.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.21 ₽101

84.30%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.61 ₽134

93.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.85 ₽739

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.98 ₽416

38.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.12 ₽1,012

-23.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.62 ₽135

13.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.42 ₽118

38.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.54 ₽129

8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.54 ₽212

-14.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.72 ₽60.1

118.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.37 ₽31.01

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.46 ₽122

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.41 ₽33.86

175.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.11 ₽176

70.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.96 ₽581

-11.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.71 ₽59.1

94.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.48 ₽123

44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.52 ₽43.54

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$18.19 ₽1,518

233.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.47 ₽289

-83.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.17 ₽14.19

782.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.65 ₽305

40.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.86 ₽71.7

80.23%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.9K ₽3.0M

0.99%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$38.4K ₽3.2M

-18.73%

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

$114 R 1,883

$103 ₽8,613

10.78%

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

$28.91 R 476

$3.65 ₽304

692.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$4.84 ₽404

720.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$26.60 ₽2,220

84.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$18.07 ₽1,508

-39.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.80 ₽484

57.76%

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

$259 R 4,264

$179 ₽15.0K

44.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,557 ₽296.9K

90.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$42.63 ₽3,558

31.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$24.11 ₽2,012

34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$141 ₽11.8K

-14.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$117 ₽9,753

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$374 ₽31.2K

173.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$221 ₽18.4K

224.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$777 ₽64.9K

134.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$420 ₽35.1K

215.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,479 ₽206.9K

-3.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,171 ₽97.8K

31.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$839 ₽70.0K

95.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

19.56

-43.92%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yaroslavl: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Yaroslavl

$221 26.2% 69.2% $496

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Yaroslavl

$186 22.1% 17.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Yaroslavl

$112 13.2% 39% $71

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Yaroslavl

$116 13.7% 34.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Yaroslavl

$146 17.3% 2.4% $3.4

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Yaroslavl

$25 2.9% 67.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Yaroslavl

$38 4.5% 43.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $374 in Yaroslavl. 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 95% 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 $30.00 in Yaroslavl. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $186 – making Yaroslavl the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇺 Yaroslavl

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

570,824

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Yaroslavl 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Yaroslavl

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 Yaroslavl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 88% more than Yaroslavl, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,266 in Yaroslavl. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yaroslavl, 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 $844 in Yaroslavl. That's a gap of about 88%.

Public transport costs about 234% less in Yaroslavl. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yaroslavl, where all-in costs run around $844, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Yaroslavl 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. Yaroslavl costs $844 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 Yaroslavl. 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.