Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $997 in Zahlah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Zahlah $997

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,599 in Zahlah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Zahlah $1,599

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,201 in Zahlah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Zahlah $2,201

Cape Town costs about 59% more than Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Zahlah is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

1.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-34.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

-40.30%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

-44.44%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

-47.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

-22.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

-32.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

43.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

-0.45%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

-12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

-19.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

-33.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-37.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

-38.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

18.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

46.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

24.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

-8.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

12.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

59.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

22.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

-43.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

-13.36%

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

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-87.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

-33.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

-77.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

49.04%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

-33.18%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

-3.28%

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

$114 R 1,883

$233 LBP 20.9M

-51.03%

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

$28.91 R 476

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

5.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

-6.73%

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

$259 R 4,264

$675 LBP 60.4M

-61.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

-35.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

-16.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

-33.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$138 LBP 12.3M

-12.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$119 LBP 10.6M

-8.91%

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

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Zahlah

$274 27.4% 21.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Zahlah

$294 29.4% 60.4% $111

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Zahlah

$227 22.8% 29% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Zahlah

$167 16.8% 17.3% $25

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 78.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 70.9% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $70.0 in Zahlah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $274 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

78,145

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Zahlah 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 59% more than Zahlah, 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 $1,496 in Zahlah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $997 in Zahlah. That's a gap of about 59%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $675 in Zahlah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Zahlah 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. Zahlah costs $997 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 Zahlah. 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.