Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Metn and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Metn: $1,062 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Metn
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,062
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Metn vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Metn $1,062
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,696 per month in Metn vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Metn $1,696
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Metn vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Metn $2,330
  • Cape Town $3,263

Metn is about 33% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Metn sits 21% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.86 LBP 1.1M
$12.14 R 200
-2.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.2 LBP 6.2M
$45.34 R 747
52.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 LBP 878.8K
$5.88 R 96.9
67.01%
Cappuccino
$4.59 LBP 410.5K
$2.50 R 41.18
83.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 LBP 206.4K
$1.27 R 20.94
81.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 LBP 81.3K
$0.98 R 16.14
-7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.08 LBP 454.5K
$2.99 R 49.33
69.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 LBP 427.8K
$3.72 R 61.4
28.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.99 LBP 178.4K
$1.30 R 21.40
53.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.87 LBP 77.8K
$1.25 R 20.68
-30.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 LBP 209.8K
$2.23 R 36.76
4.93%
Eggs
$3.61 LBP 323.1K
$3.11 R 51.2
16.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.27 LBP 1.0M
$9.06 R 149
24.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.53 LBP 942.5K
$6.92 R 114
52.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.80 LBP 1.3M
$9.30 R 153
59.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 LBP 277.3K
$1.84 R 30.25
68.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 LBP 151.3K
$1.96 R 32.29
-13.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 LBP 146.2K
$1.67 R 27.45
-2.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 LBP 131.0K
$2.17 R 35.70
-32.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 LBP 112.7K
$1.57 R 25.81
-19.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 LBP 136.5K
$1.48 R 24.45
3.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 LBP 104.8K
$1.30 R 21.41
-10.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 LBP 60.5K
$1.13 R 18.60
-39.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.98 LBP 266.8K
$3.60 R 59.3
-17.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 LBP 998.3K
$6.15 R 101
81.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 LBP 117.9K
$1.38 R 22.66
-4.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 LBP 220.7K
$2.14 R 35.20
15.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.50 R 24.65
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.8 R 1,001
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.05 LBP 451.9K
$0.59 R 9.71
755.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 LBP 198.5K
$1.50 R 24.65
48.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.26 LBP 2.0M
$5.11 R 84.2
335.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 LBP 93.8K
$1.55 R 25.50
-32.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$54.2K LBP 4.9B
$36.2K R 596.5K
49.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K LBP 3.0B
$31.2K R 514.8K
5.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 LBP 20.8M
$114 R 1,883
103.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.23 LBP 2.0M
$28.91 R 476
-23.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.47 LBP 3.4M
$39.73 R 654
-5.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.3 LBP 5.4M
$49.01 R 808
22.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.99 R 181
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.95 LBP 890.3K
$9.15 R 151
8.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 LBP 44.2M
$259 R 4,264
90.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K LBP 939.0M
$6,794 R 111.9K
54.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.9 LBP 6.1M
$56.2 R 926
20.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.97 LBP 4.5M
$32.41 R 534
54.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$140 LBP 12.5M
$121 R 1,987
15.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 LBP 10.7M
$108 R 1,781
11.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,021 R 16.8K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$717 R 11.8K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$504 LBP 45.1M
$1,824 R 30.1K
-72.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,327 R 21.9K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,391 R 39.4K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Metn
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,639 R 27.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
10.97
0.27%

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

Last update for Metn: October 10, 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
Metn
$293
Cape Town
$183 37.5% $110
Groceries & Markets
Metn
$276
Cape Town
$225 18.6% $51
Eating Out
Metn
$227
Cape Town
$176 22.5% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Metn
$170
Cape Town
$143 16% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Metn
$80
Cape Town
$67 16% $13
Getting Around
Metn
$16 *
Cape Town
$75 364% $59
Accommodation & Living
Metn
- *
Cape Town
$717

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 $69.0 in Metn versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇧 Metn
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
20:48 8:48 PM
1 h behind Metn
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Metn Cape Town 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Metn
  • 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
Metn vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Metn or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 49% more than Metn, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 Metn and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Metn and $2,379 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 Metn compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Metn and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 49%.
How do childcare costs compare in Metn and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Metn and $259 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 $1,500/month in Metn or in Cape Town?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Metn, where all-in costs run around $1,062, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Metn 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, Metn or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Metn costs $1,062 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Metn or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Metn. 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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