Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taraz and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $628 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
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Taraz Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$628

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $628 per month in Taraz vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Taraz $628
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,004 per month in Taraz vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Taraz $1,004
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,381 per month in Taraz vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Taraz $1,381
Cape Town $3,263

Taraz is about 60% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Taraz sits 54% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.97 ₸4,056

$12.14 R 200

-26.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.50 ₸10.2K

$45.34 R 747

-50.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.75 ₸3,051

$5.88 R 96.9

14.80%

Cappuccino

$1.53 ₸691

$2.50 R 41.18

-38.80%

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

$0.85 ₸383

$1.27 R 20.94

-33.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ₸204

$0.98 R 16.14

-54.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₸510

$2.99 R 49.33

-62.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₸818

$3.72 R 61.4

-51.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 ₸491

$1.30 R 21.40

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₸196

$1.25 R 20.68

-65.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ₸589

$2.23 R 36.76

-41.70%

Eggs

$1.68 ₸761

$3.11 R 51.2

-45.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 ₸4,580

$9.06 R 149

11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₸2,346

$6.92 R 114

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.39 ₸3,794

$9.30 R 153

-9.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 ₸519

$1.84 R 30.25

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ₸997

$1.96 R 32.29

12.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ₸1,122

$1.67 R 27.45

48.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ₸621

$2.17 R 35.70

-36.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 ₸251

$1.57 R 25.81

-64.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$1.48 R 24.45

-72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ₸411

$1.30 R 21.41

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₸380

$1.13 R 18.60

-25.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,093

$3.60 R 59.3

-32.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 ₸1,995

$6.15 R 101

-28.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₸468

$1.38 R 22.66

-24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₸696

$2.14 R 35.20

-28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₸82.4

$1.50 R 24.65

-88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₸385

$0.59 R 9.71

44.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₸158

$1.50 R 24.65

-76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ₸1,839

$5.11 R 84.2

-20.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸301

$1.55 R 25.50

-57.42%

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

$28.1K ₸12.7M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-22.34%

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

$27.6K ₸12.5M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-11.61%

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

$47.60 ₸21.5K

$114 R 1,883

-58.36%

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

$8.76 ₸3,960

$28.91 R 476

-69.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.00 ₸4,068

$39.73 R 654

-77.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.98 ₸16.3K

$49.01 R 808

-26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 ₸1,996

$9.15 R 151

-51.69%

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

$58.8 ₸26.6K

$259 R 4,264

-77.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.80 ₸12.1K

$56.2 R 926

-52.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.70 ₸15.7K

$32.41 R 534

7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₸50.9K

$121 R 1,987

-6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ₸23.8K

$108 R 1,781

-51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₸121.9K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ₸49.6K

$717 R 11.8K

-84.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₸203.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-75.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₸90.4K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-84.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$865 ₸391.1K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-63.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$611 ₸276.3K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-60.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$272 ₸123.0K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.83

10.97

62.53%

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

Last update for Taraz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taraz

$178 28.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 26.6% $47

Eating Out

Taraz

$125 19.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 41.1% $51

Accommodation & Living

Taraz

$110 17.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 554% $607

Clothing & Footwear

Taraz

$102 16.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 39.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taraz

$65 10.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 180% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Taraz

$45 7.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 50.2% $23

Getting Around

Taraz

$3.3 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 2147% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Taraz versus $1,021 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 502% 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 $22.00 in Taraz versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $225 – making Taraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Taraz

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

4 h behind Taraz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,160

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taraz Cape Town 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Taraz
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

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

Cape Town costs about 153% more than Taraz, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $942 per month in Taraz and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taraz, 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 $628 in Taraz and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 153%.

Kindergarten costs $58.8 per month in Taraz 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 Taraz, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Taraz 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. Taraz costs $628 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 Taraz. 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.