Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $745 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$745

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Mashhad vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mashhad $745
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,114 per month in Mashhad vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mashhad $1,114
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,483 per month in Mashhad vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mashhad $1,483
Cape Town $3,263

Mashhad is about 53% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mashhad sits 45% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,301

$12.14 R 200

-65.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.37 IQD 44.4K

$45.34 R 747

-35.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$5.88 R 96.9

14.46%

Cappuccino

$2.67 IQD 4,034

$2.50 R 41.18

6.80%

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

$0.33 IQD 492

$1.27 R 20.94

-74.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.98 R 16.14

-77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,921

$2.99 R 49.33

9.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 IQD 5,091

$3.72 R 61.4

-9.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 IQD 1,346

$1.30 R 21.40

-31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,035

$1.25 R 20.68

-45.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,005

$2.23 R 36.76

-40.36%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$3.11 R 51.2

-73.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,071

$9.06 R 149

-62.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.97 IQD 2,981

$6.92 R 114

-71.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.09 IQD 4,668

$9.30 R 153

-66.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,521

$1.84 R 30.25

-45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,385

$1.96 R 32.29

-53.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,373

$1.67 R 27.45

-45.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,026

$2.17 R 35.70

-68.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 845

$1.57 R 25.81

-64.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 900

$1.48 R 24.45

-59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.30 R 21.41

-77.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 322

$1.13 R 18.60

-81.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.83 IQD 1,254

$3.60 R 59.3

-76.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 IQD 17.9K

$6.15 R 101

93.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,989

$1.38 R 22.66

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$2.14 R 35.20

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 IQD 690

$1.50 R 24.65

-69.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.64 IQD 32.7K

$60.8 R 1,001

-64.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,031

$0.59 R 9.71

240.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,965

$1.50 R 24.65

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 IQD 9,659

$5.11 R 84.2

25.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 IQD 805

$1.55 R 25.50

-65.81%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-53.62%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-46.49%

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

$192 IQD 289.6K

$114 R 1,883

67.67%

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

$17.37 IQD 26.2K

$28.91 R 476

-39.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.33 IQD 54.9K

$39.73 R 654

-8.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.10 IQD 51.5K

$49.01 R 808

-30.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

$9.15 R 151

9.51%

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

$147 IQD 221.6K

$259 R 4,264

-43.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,968 IQD 4.5M

$6,794 R 111.9K

-56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.05 IQD 37.9K

$56.2 R 926

-55.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

$32.41 R 534

-12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 IQD 90.8K

$121 R 1,987

-50.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.28 IQD 62.4K

$108 R 1,781

-61.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 226.4K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-85.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 IQD 178.6K

$717 R 11.8K

-83.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 IQD 606.7K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-77.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 IQD 432.6K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-78.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$717 IQD 1.1M

$2,391 R 39.4K

-70.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$639 IQD 965.4K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

10.97

-62.44%

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

Last update for Mashhad: 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

Mashhad

$245 32.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 25.4% $62

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$118 15.9%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 506% $599

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 95.1% $110

Eating Out

Mashhad

$111 14.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 59% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$70 9.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 105% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$54 7.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 24.3% $13

Getting Around

Mashhad

$32 4.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 134% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $150 in Mashhad 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Mashhad versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $115 vs $225 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mashhad Cape Town 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

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

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Mashhad, 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 $1,118 per month in Mashhad and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, 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 $745 in Mashhad and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 113%.

Public transport costs about 181% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Mashhad 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. Mashhad costs $745 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 Mashhad. 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.