Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $297 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $297
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $470 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $470
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $643 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $643
Cape Town $3,307

Mazar-i-Sharif is about 81% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mazar-i-Sharif sits 78% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ؋149

$11.78 R 195

-80.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.68 ؋1,015

$46.55 R 772

-66.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ؋252

$5.96 R 98.9

-34.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$1.19 ؋77.3

$2.47 R 41.01

-51.82%

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

$0.56 ؋36.07

$1.33 R 22.03

-57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$1.03 R 17.08

-68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ؋38.87

$1.39 R 23.08

-56.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.41

$1.19 R 19.70

-87.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ؋139

$2.11 R 35.02

1.90%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$3.01 R 49.84

-47.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 ؋513

$8.96 R 149

-11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ؋218

$6.65 R 110

-49.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.23 ؋404

$9.29 R 154

-32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.23

$1.83 R 30.28

-67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ؋76.0

$1.90 R 31.47

-38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ؋52.6

$1.75 R 28.98

-53.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.57

$2.09 R 34.59

-70.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ؋33.06

$1.55 R 25.78

-67.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ؋25.83

$1.49 R 24.65

-73.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ؋33.75

$1.30 R 21.53

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.76

$1.16 R 19.29

-72.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 ؋101

$3.71 R 61.5

-57.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ؋52.0

$1.51 R 25.11

-47.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$4.81 R 79.8

-68.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ؋96.3

$1.58 R 26.22

-5.70%

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

$9,933 ؋643.3K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-72.02%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

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

$83.8 ؋5,425

$116 R 1,930

-28.03%

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

$16.94 ؋1,097

$28.37 R 471

-40.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.69 ؋757

$48.85 R 810

-76.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.91 ؋253

$11.13 R 185

-64.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ؋306

$8.83 R 146

-46.55%

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

$78.1 ؋5,058

$261 R 4,336

-70.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.14 ؋851

$55.4 R 919

-76.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.75 ؋1,214

$107 R 1,775

-82.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ؋15.0K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-85.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 109% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 84.2% $85

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 262% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 215% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 879% $126

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 2246% $72

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 609% 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 $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $222 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

2 h 30 min behind Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Cape Town 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 428% more than Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $445 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 428%.

Kindergarten costs $78.1 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Mazar-i-Sharif 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. Mazar-i-Sharif costs $297 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mazar-i-Sharif. 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.