Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saham and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $959 per month in Saham vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saham $959
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Saham vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saham $1,439
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Saham vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saham $1,920
Cape Town $3,263

Saham is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saham sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 OMR 1.97

$12.14 R 200

-57.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.33 OMR 15.14

$45.34 R 747

-13.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$5.88 R 96.9

32.82%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.00

$2.50 R 41.18

108.40%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.27 R 20.94

-28.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.98 R 16.14

-70.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$2.99 R 49.33

341.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$3.72 R 61.4

246.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$1.30 R 21.40

79.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.25 R 20.68

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$2.23 R 36.76

-16.14%

Eggs

$2.92 OMR 1.13

$3.11 R 51.2

-6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 OMR 2.88

$9.06 R 149

-17.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.69

$6.92 R 114

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 OMR 4.12

$9.30 R 153

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 OMR 1.36

$1.84 R 30.25

92.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 OMR 0.77

$1.96 R 32.29

1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$1.67 R 27.45

38.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$2.17 R 35.70

-41.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 OMR 0.47

$1.57 R 25.81

-22.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$1.48 R 24.45

-16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 OMR 0.72

$1.30 R 21.41

44.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 OMR 0.25

$1.13 R 18.60

-41.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 OMR 2.49

$3.60 R 59.3

79.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 OMR 6.11

$6.15 R 101

158.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$1.38 R 22.66

338.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 OMR 3.91

$2.14 R 35.20

373.83%

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)

$3.29 OMR 1.27

$0.59 R 9.71

457.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 OMR 1.01

$1.50 R 24.65

74.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$5.11 R 84.2

53.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.55 R 25.50

-61.29%

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

$25.1K OMR 9,647

$36.2K R 596.5K

-30.79%

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

$22.6K OMR 8,688

$31.2K R 514.8K

-27.78%

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

$180 OMR 69.3

$114 R 1,883

57.36%

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

$30.60 OMR 11.78

$28.91 R 476

5.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 OMR 27.18

$39.73 R 654

77.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$9.15 R 151

14.21%

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

$282 OMR 109

$259 R 4,264

8.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,008

$6,794 R 111.9K

53.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.78

$56.2 R 926

0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 OMR 16.52

$32.41 R 534

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 OMR 34.57

$121 R 1,987

-25.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 OMR 33.51

$108 R 1,781

-19.48%

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)

$1,824 R 30.1K

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.97

-52.14%

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

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saham

$293 30.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 23.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saham

$281 29.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 34.9% $98

Eating Out

Saham

$223 23.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 21.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Saham

$124 13%

Cape Town

$143 9% 14.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Saham

$21 * 2.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 222% $46

Getting Around

Saham

$16 * 1.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 358% $58

Accommodation & Living

Saham

- * 0%

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

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 $39.00 in Saham versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Saham vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Saham

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

2 h behind Saham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saham Cape Town 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saham
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

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

Cape Town costs about 65% more than Saham, 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 $1,439 per month in Saham and $2,379 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 $959 in Saham and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Saham and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Saham 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. Saham costs $959 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 Saham. 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.