Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somalia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Somalia: $628 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇸🇴 Somalia
$628
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Somalia is 41.8% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 60% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Somalia is 44.4% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 62.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05 SOS 1,735
$11.78 R 194
-74.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.05 SOS 8,546
$46.55 R 768
-67.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.86 SOS 2,761
$5.96 R 98.4
-18.46%
Cappuccino
$1.52 SOS 863
$2.47 R 40.80
-38.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 SOS 528
$1.33 R 21.91
-30.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 SOS 271
$1.03 R 16.99
-53.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.19 SOS 6,357
$3.01 R 49.72
271.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$14.93 SOS 8,480
$3.66 R 60.4
307.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 SOS 744
$1.39 R 22.96
-5.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.15 SOS 655
$1.19 R 19.60
-3.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 SOS 476
$2.11 R 34.84
-60.19%
Eggs
$2.23 SOS 1,267
$3.01 R 49.58
-25.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.89 SOS 2,778
$8.96 R 148
-45.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.58 SOS 2,601
$6.65 R 110
-31.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.38 SOS 2,485
$9.29 R 153
-52.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.21 SOS 1,254
$1.83 R 30.13
20.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 SOS 706
$1.90 R 31.31
-34.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 SOS 993
$1.75 R 28.83
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.16 SOS 659
$2.09 R 34.41
-44.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.23 SOS 697
$1.55 R 25.64
-20.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 SOS 880
$1.49 R 24.53
4.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 SOS 576
$1.30 R 21.41
-22.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 SOS 406
$1.16 R 19.19
-38.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$0.98 SOS 556
$3.71 R 61.2
-73.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$2.01 SOS 1,142
$6.06 R 100
-66.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 SOS 1,106
$1.39 R 22.85
40.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 SOS 1,111
$2.20 R 36.32
-10.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 SOS 162
$1.51 R 24.98
-80.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.29 SOS 6,983
$61.0 R 1,006
-79.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 SOS 865
$0.63 R 10.33
141.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.59 SOS 334
$1.53 R 25.29
-61.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.54 SOS 2,012
$4.81 R 79.4
-26.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 SOS 551
$1.58 R 26.08
-38.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$9,995 SOS 5.7M
$35.5K R 585.7K
-71.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,346 SOS 5.3M
$31.7K R 523.8K
-70.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 SOS 63.4K
$116 R 1,920
-4.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.08 SOS 4,022
$28.37 R 468
-75.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.80 SOS 22.0K
$40.69 R 671
-4.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.66 SOS 15.7K
$48.85 R 806
-43.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.06 SOS 1,169
$11.13 R 184
-81.49%
Cinema Ticket
-
$8.83 R 146
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$39.77 SOS 22.6K
$261 R 4,314
-84.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$298 SOS 169.2K
$6,702 R 110.6K
-95.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$12.44 SOS 7,067
$55.4 R 914
-77.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.94 SOS 9,620
$32.27 R 532
-47.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$16.58 SOS 9,420
$118 R 1,939
-85.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$25.23 SOS 14.3K
$107 R 1,766
-76.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$125 SOS 70.7K
$1,015 R 16.7K
-87.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$79.6 SOS 45.2K
$715 R 11.8K
-88.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$364 SOS 206.9K
$1,801 R 29.7K
-79.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$184 SOS 104.7K
$1,330 R 22.0K
-86.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,628 SOS 2.6M
$2,331 R 38.5K
98.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,581 SOS 2.0M
$1,513 R 25.0K
136.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Somalia
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$272 SOS 154.7K
$1,636 R 27.0K
-83.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
10.97
36.74%

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

Last update for Somalia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Somalia
$157
Cape Town
$185 17.7% $28
Groceries & Markets
Somalia
$156
Cape Town
$222 42.6% $66
Eating Out
Somalia
$149
Cape Town
$174 16.8% $25
Accommodation & Living
Somalia
$80
Cape Town
$715 798% $636
Clothing & Footwear
Somalia
$32
Cape Town
$141 339% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Somalia
$28 *
Cape Town
$67 141% $39
Getting Around
Somalia
$18
Cape Town
$75 321% $57

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

Good to know
🇸🇴 Somalia
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
06:29 6:29 AM
05:29 5:29 AM
1 h behind Somalia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,031,386
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Somali Shilling SOS Sh
South African Rand ZAR R
📈 Exchange rate
1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD
1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR
100 ZAR = 6.06 USD
100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 637 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 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 SOS in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Somalia Cape Town 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Somalia
  • 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

Somalia vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇸🇴 Somalia
$628
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇸🇴 Somalia
$628
/mo nomad
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,182
/mo nomad
🇸🇴 Somalia
$628
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇸🇴 Somalia
$628
/mo nomad
🇪🇬 Egypt
$480
/mo nomad
Show more

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