Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $613 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$613

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Islamabad vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Islamabad $613
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $951 per month in Islamabad vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Islamabad $951
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,289 per month in Islamabad vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Islamabad $1,289
Cape Town $3,307

Islamabad is about 61% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Islamabad sits 54% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 PKR 983

$11.78 R 194

-69.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 PKR 6,453

$46.55 R 768

-49.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 PKR 1,522

$5.96 R 98.4

-7.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PKR 971

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,950

Cappuccino

$2.72 PKR 753

$2.47 R 40.80

10.12%

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

$0.35 PKR 97.4

$1.33 R 21.91

-73.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$1.03 R 16.99

-77.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 PKR 273

$1.39 R 22.96

-28.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.19 R 19.60

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.11 R 34.84

-41.23%

Eggs

$1.31 PKR 363

$3.01 R 49.58

-56.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 PKR 1,695

$8.96 R 148

-31.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 PKR 893

$6.65 R 110

-51.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.44 PKR 1,506

$9.29 R 153

-41.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 PKR 375

$1.83 R 30.13

-26.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 PKR 239

$1.90 R 31.31

-54.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 PKR 298

$1.75 R 28.83

-38.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$2.09 R 34.41

-73.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 78.3

$1.55 R 25.64

-81.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$1.49 R 24.53

-75.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 PKR 83.5

$1.30 R 21.41

-76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 115

$1.16 R 19.19

-63.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.98 PKR 549

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PKR 715

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 PKR 642

$3.71 R 61.2

-37.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$1.51 R 24.98

-86.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.45 PKR 5,936

$61.0 R 1,006

-64.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 PKR 339

$0.63 R 10.33

95.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 PKR 209

$1.53 R 25.29

-50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 PKR 454

$4.81 R 79.4

-65.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 PKR 385

$1.58 R 26.08

-12.03%

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

$53.8K PKR 14.9M

$35.5K R 585.7K

51.61%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-24.43%

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

$103 PKR 28.5K

$116 R 1,920

-11.62%

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

$5.76 PKR 1,594

$28.37 R 468

-79.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.49 PKR 4,565

$40.69 R 671

-59.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.77 PKR 8,240

$48.85 R 806

-39.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.62 PKR 2,386

$11.13 R 184

-22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 PKR 1,233

$8.83 R 146

-49.60%

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

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

$261 R 4,314

-71.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,023 PKR 1.4M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-25.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.55 PKR 6,793

$55.4 R 914

-55.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 PKR 9,461

$32.27 R 532

5.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 PKR 26.6K

$118 R 1,939

-18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.93 PKR 11.3K

$107 R 1,766

-61.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 PKR 75.2K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-73.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 PKR 38.0K

$715 R 11.8K

-80.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 PKR 158.4K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-68.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 PKR 76.0K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-79.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 PKR 464.1K

$2,331 R 38.5K

-28.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 PKR 227.0K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-45.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$379 PKR 104.8K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-76.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

10.97

19.23%

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

Last update for Islamabad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Islamabad

$137 22.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 421% $578

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islamabad

$125 20.8%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 48.2% $60

Groceries & Markets

Islamabad

$105 17.5%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 112% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Islamabad

$88 14.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 59.6% $52

Eating Out

Islamabad

$80 13.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 117% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Islamabad

$39 6.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 71.9% $28

Getting Around

Islamabad

$27 4.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 177% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Islamabad versus $1,015 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 332% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $222 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

3 h behind Islamabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,009,832 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Islamabad Cape Town 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Islamabad
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

Islamabad vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 156% more than Islamabad, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $919 per month in Islamabad and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, 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 $613 in Islamabad and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 156%.

Public transport costs about 184% less in Islamabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Islamabad 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. Islamabad costs $613 versus $1,568 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 Islamabad. 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.