Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hama and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Hama: $557 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hama
🇸🇾 Syria
$557
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,599
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hama and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $557 per month in Hama vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hama $557
  • Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $868 per month in Hama vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hama $868
  • Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $1,180 per month in Hama vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hama $1,180
  • Cape Town $3,320

Hama is about 65% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hama sits 59% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.62 SYP 926
$12.07 R 199
-36.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.44 SYP 3,699
$46.65 R 769
-34.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.70 SYP 329
$6.20 R 102
-56.45%
Cappuccino
$1.16 SYP 141
$2.50 R 41.13
-53.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 SYP 275
$1.35 R 22.28
67.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 SYP 106
$1.00 R 16.47
-13.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 SYP 237
$3.06 R 50.4
-36.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 SYP 218
$3.67 R 60.5
-51.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 SYP 129
$1.30 R 21.45
-18.46%
White Bread (500g)
$0.42 SYP 50.8
$1.27 R 20.89
-66.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 SYP 191
$2.17 R 35.68
-27.65%
Eggs
$1.64 SYP 199
$3.09 R 50.9
-46.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.84 SYP 467
$8.98 R 148
-57.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.57 SYP 677
$6.99 R 115
-20.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 SYP 1,689
$9.67 R 159
43.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.08 SYP 131
$1.87 R 30.78
-42.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 SYP 173
$1.93 R 31.72
-26.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.11 SYP 135
$1.77 R 29.13
-37.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 SYP 128
$2.18 R 35.86
-51.83%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 SYP 89.5
$1.52 R 25.07
-51.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 SYP 96.3
$1.56 R 25.63
-49.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.40 SYP 48.65
$1.32 R 21.74
-69.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 SYP 74.6
$1.15 R 18.97
-46.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.74 SYP 333
$3.72 R 61.4
-26.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.14 SYP 746
$6.01 R 99.0
2.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 SYP 134
$1.34 R 22.13
-17.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 SYP 353
$2.13 R 35.11
36.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 SYP 23.72
$1.55 R 25.53
-87.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$61.3 R 1,010
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 SYP 123
$0.60 R 9.85
70.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 SYP 181
$1.54 R 25.36
-3.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.89 SYP 959
$5.01 R 82.5
57.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$3.60 SYP 437
$1.60 R 26.33
125.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$15.0K SYP 1.8M
$35.4K R 583.4K
-57.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.5K SYP 2.4M
$34.7K R 570.9K
-43.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$143 SYP 17.3K
$119 R 1,955
20.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.32 SYP 1,132
$29.42 R 485
-68.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.15 SYP 2,814
$39.81 R 656
-41.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$50.8 R 836
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.93 R 180
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.39 SYP 655
$8.99 R 148
-40.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$67.9 SYP 8,249
$261 R 4,303
-74.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,747 SYP 212.2K
$6,966 R 114.8K
-74.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.42 SYP 3,454
$56.1 R 925
-49.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.97 SYP 4,857
$33.26 R 548
20.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.9 SYP 7,277
$121 R 1,999
-50.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.8 SYP 7,143
$108 R 1,779
-45.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,028 R 16.9K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$720 R 11.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,835 R 30.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,360 R 22.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,407 R 39.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,504 R 24.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hama
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,649 R 27.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.25
10.97
29.90%

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

Last update for Hama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hama
$175
Cape Town
$188 7.2% $13
Groceries & Markets
Hama
$169
Cape Town
$226 34.1% $58
Eating Out
Hama
$109
Cape Town
$177 62.8% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Hama
$84
Cape Town
$143 70.4% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Hama
$11 *
Cape Town
$69 537% $58
Getting Around
Hama
$9.2 *
Cape Town
$76 721% $67
Accommodation & Living
Hama
- *
Cape Town
$720

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 $30.00 in Hama versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $226 – making Hama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇾 Hama
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
15:26 3:26 PM
14:26 2:26 PM
1 h behind Hama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
312,994
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hama Cape Town 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hama
  • Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Hama vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hama or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 187% more than Hama, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hama and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Hama and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Hama compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $557 in Hama and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 187%.
How do childcare costs compare in Hama and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $67.9 per month in Hama and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Hama or in Cape Town?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hama, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Hama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Hama or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hama costs $557 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Hama or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Hama. 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.

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