Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hyderabad and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Hyderabad: $443 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hyderabad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$443
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $443 per month in Hyderabad vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hyderabad $443
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $686 per month in Hyderabad vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hyderabad $686
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $929 per month in Hyderabad vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Hyderabad $929
  • Cape Town $3,263

Hyderabad is about 72% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hyderabad sits 67% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.74 PKR 481
$12.14 R 200
-85.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.96 PKR 3,033
$45.34 R 747
-75.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.21 PKR 1,165
$5.88 R 96.9
-28.40%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 PKR 587
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.79 PKR 1,603
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.03 PKR 286
$2.50 R 41.18
-58.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 PKR 95.5
$1.27 R 20.94
-72.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 PKR 60.5
$0.98 R 16.14
-77.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.99 R 49.33
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.72 R 61.4
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 PKR 223
$1.30 R 21.40
-38.46%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 PKR 156
$1.25 R 20.68
-55.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 PKR 331
$2.23 R 36.76
-46.19%
Eggs
$1.28 PKR 354
$3.11 R 51.2
-58.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.36 PKR 1,207
$9.06 R 149
-51.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.19 PKR 884
$6.92 R 114
-53.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.04 PKR 1,117
$9.30 R 153
-56.56%
Apples (1kg)
$1.07 PKR 297
$1.84 R 30.25
-41.85%
Banana (1kg)
$0.43 PKR 119
$1.96 R 32.29
-78.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.63 PKR 176
$1.67 R 27.45
-62.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 PKR 130
$2.17 R 35.70
-78.34%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 PKR 85.2
$1.57 R 25.81
-80.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.34 PKR 94.1
$1.48 R 24.45
-77.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 PKR 115
$1.30 R 21.41
-67.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 PKR 121
$1.13 R 18.60
-61.06%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$0.91 PKR 253
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 PKR 317
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 PKR 190
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.78 PKR 492
$3.60 R 59.3
-50.56%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.15 R 101
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.38 R 22.66
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.14 R 35.20
-
🚌 Getting Around
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 PKR 42.49
$1.50 R 24.65
-90.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.79 PKR 2,711
$60.8 R 1,001
-83.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.65 PKR 181
$0.59 R 9.71
10.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.16 PKR 44.06
$1.50 R 24.65
-89.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.70 PKR 193
$5.11 R 84.2
-86.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 PKR 334
$1.55 R 25.50
-21.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.0K PKR 5.0M
$36.2K R 596.5K
-50.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K PKR 7.1M
$31.2K R 514.8K
-18.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 PKR 31.0K
$114 R 1,883
-1.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.61 PKR 1,553
$28.91 R 476
-80.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.22 PKR 3,658
$39.73 R 654
-66.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.84 PKR 6,323
$49.01 R 808
-53.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.52 PKR 973
$10.99 R 181
-67.97%
Cinema Ticket
$3.54 PKR 981
$9.15 R 151
-61.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$51.4 PKR 14.2K
$259 R 4,264
-80.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,339 PKR 370.7K
$6,794 R 111.9K
-80.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.98 PKR 4,701
$56.2 R 926
-69.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.45 PKR 6,490
$32.41 R 534
-27.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.8 PKR 18.5K
$121 R 1,987
-44.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.77 PKR 11.3K
$108 R 1,781
-62.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$134 PKR 37.2K
$1,021 R 16.8K
-86.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.1 PKR 21.1K
$717 R 11.8K
-89.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$310 PKR 85.9K
$1,824 R 30.1K
-82.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 PKR 59.3K
$1,327 R 21.9K
-83.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$767 PKR 212.3K
$2,391 R 39.4K
-67.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hyderabad
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$157 PKR 43.4K
$1,639 R 27.0K
-90.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.21
10.97
20.42%

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

Last update for Hyderabad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hyderabad
$131
Cape Town
$183 39.7% $52
Groceries & Markets
Hyderabad
$86
Cape Town
$225 161% $139
Accommodation & Living
Hyderabad
$76
Cape Town
$717 842% $641
Clothing & Footwear
Hyderabad
$67
Cape Town
$143 114% $76
Eating Out
Hyderabad
$41
Cape Town
$176 328% $135
Sport & Entertainment
Hyderabad
$30
Cape Town
$67 125% $37
Getting Around
Hyderabad
$12
Cape Town
$75 531% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Hyderabad versus $1,021 in Cape Town. 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 946% 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 $11.00 in Hyderabad versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $86.0 vs $225 – making Hyderabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Hyderabad
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
11:29 11:29 AM
08:29 8:29 AM
3 h behind Hyderabad
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,732,698
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 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
  • Hyderabad Cape Town 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hyderabad
  • Cape Town

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
Hyderabad vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hyderabad or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 258% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 Hyderabad and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $664 per month in Hyderabad and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hyderabad or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hyderabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Hyderabad compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $443 in Hyderabad and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 258%.
How expensive is transport in Hyderabad compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 521% less in Hyderabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Hyderabad or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hyderabad, where all-in costs run around $443, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hyderabad 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, Hyderabad or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hyderabad costs $443 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Hyderabad compared to Cape Town?
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.
Should I move to Hyderabad or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Hyderabad. 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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