Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohar: $1,403 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,403 per month in Sohar vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sohar $1,403
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,068 per month in Sohar vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sohar $2,068
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Sohar vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sohar $2,734
Cape Town $3,307

Sohar is about 11% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sohar and Cape Town sit above the global median – Sohar by 5%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 OMR 2.50

$11.78 R 194

-44.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.49 OMR 7.89

$46.55 R 768

-55.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 OMR 3.54

$5.96 R 98.4

54.19%

Cappuccino

$4.77 OMR 1.84

$2.47 R 40.80

93.12%

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

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.33 R 21.91

-51.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 OMR 0.11

$1.03 R 16.99

-72.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.24 OMR 5.10

$3.01 R 49.72

339.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.46 OMR 5.57

$3.66 R 60.4

295.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 OMR 0.81

$1.39 R 22.96

51.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 OMR 0.43

$1.19 R 19.60

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 OMR 1.24

$2.11 R 34.84

53.08%

Eggs

$2.74 OMR 1.05

$3.01 R 49.58

-8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 OMR 5.12

$8.96 R 148

48.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 OMR 3.58

$6.65 R 110

39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 OMR 5.60

$9.29 R 153

56.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$1.83 R 30.13

75.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 OMR 0.84

$1.90 R 31.31

15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 OMR 0.96

$1.75 R 28.83

42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$2.09 R 34.41

-41.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 OMR 0.67

$1.55 R 25.64

12.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.49 R 24.53

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 OMR 0.66

$1.30 R 21.41

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$1.16 R 19.19

-22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 OMR 2.25

$3.71 R 61.2

57.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.80 OMR 9.93

$6.06 R 100

325.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.79 OMR 1.46

$1.39 R 22.85

172.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.71 OMR 3.35

$2.20 R 36.32

295.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 OMR 1.01

$1.51 R 24.98

74.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 OMR 19.65

$61.0 R 1,006

-16.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 OMR 1.23

$0.63 R 10.33

406.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$1.53 R 25.29

3.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 OMR 3.93

$4.81 R 79.4

112.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.58 R 26.08

-62.03%

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

$18.4K OMR 7,101

$35.5K R 585.7K

-48.04%

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

$20.3K OMR 7,830

$31.7K R 523.8K

-35.94%

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

$102 OMR 39.41

$116 R 1,920

-12.06%

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

$29.06 OMR 11.19

$28.37 R 468

2.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.2 OMR 34.72

$40.69 R 671

121.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 OMR 19.02

$48.85 R 806

1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 OMR 4.45

$8.83 R 146

30.92%

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

$303 OMR 117

$261 R 4,314

15.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,070 OMR 2,722

$6,702 R 110.6K

5.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 OMR 19.30

$55.4 R 914

-9.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.95 OMR 16.92

$32.27 R 532

36.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 OMR 30.18

$118 R 1,939

-33.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.23 OMR 17.80

$107 R 1,766

-56.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 OMR 194

$1,015 R 16.7K

-50.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 OMR 146

$715 R 11.8K

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 OMR 319

$1,801 R 29.7K

-54.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 OMR 256

$1,330 R 22.0K

-50.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,178 OMR 454

$2,331 R 38.5K

-49.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$765 OMR 295

$1,513 R 25.0K

-49.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,514 OMR 968

$1,636 R 27.0K

53.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

10.97

-42.30%

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

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sohar

$378 26.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 89.2% $337

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.3%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 35.7% $124

Eating Out

Sohar

$235 16.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 26.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$222 15.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 16.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$98 6.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 42.8% $42

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 3.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 8.3% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Sohar 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 54% higher in Sohar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Sohar versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Sohar vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

2 h behind Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sohar Cape Town 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sohar
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

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

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Sohar, 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 $2,104 per month in Sohar 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 Sohar, 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 $1,403 in Sohar and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 12%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Sohar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sohar, where all-in costs run around $1,403, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sohar 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. Sohar costs $1,403 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 Sohar. 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.