Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wah and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Wah: $408 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Wah
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Wah Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Wah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$408

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $408 per month in Wah vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wah $408
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $623 per month in Wah vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wah $623
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $838 per month in Wah vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Wah $838
Cape Town $3,263

Wah is about 74% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wah sits 70% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 PKR 493

$12.14 R 200

-85.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.81 PKR 2,991

$45.34 R 747

-76.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PKR 1,513

$5.88 R 96.9

-6.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PKR 710

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 PKR 588

Cappuccino

$1.28 PKR 354

$2.50 R 41.18

-48.80%

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

$0.33 PKR 92.7

$1.27 R 20.94

-74.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 66.1

$0.98 R 16.14

-75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 232

$1.30 R 21.40

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 PKR 182

$1.25 R 20.68

-47.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 334

$2.23 R 36.76

-45.74%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 345

$3.11 R 51.2

-59.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 PKR 2,465

$9.06 R 149

-1.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 PKR 714

$6.92 R 114

-62.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.95 PKR 1,093

$9.30 R 153

-57.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 296

$1.84 R 30.25

-41.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 PKR 169

$1.96 R 32.29

-68.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 PKR 171

$1.67 R 27.45

-62.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 164

$2.17 R 35.70

-72.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$1.57 R 25.81

-82.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 131

$1.48 R 24.45

-68.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 123

$1.30 R 21.41

-66.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.13 R 18.60

-61.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 155

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 PKR 157

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 190

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.45 PKR 402

$3.60 R 59.3

-59.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 PKR 42.36

$1.50 R 24.65

-90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 PKR 2,988

$60.8 R 1,001

-82.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 PKR 291

$0.59 R 9.71

77.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 PKR 294

$1.50 R 24.65

-29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 PKR 804

$5.11 R 84.2

-43.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.55 R 25.50

-23.87%

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

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-35.34%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.5M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-25.29%

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

$66.6 PKR 18.4K

$114 R 1,883

-41.72%

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

$5.56 PKR 1,538

$28.91 R 476

-80.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$39.73 R 654

-62.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.53 PKR 3,745

$49.01 R 808

-72.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.96 PKR 2,480

$10.99 R 181

-18.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 PKR 2,016

$9.15 R 151

-20.33%

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

$26.80 PKR 7,419

$259 R 4,264

-89.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,047 PKR 566.5K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-69.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.31 PKR 5,345

$56.2 R 926

-65.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.33 PKR 7,288

$32.41 R 534

-18.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 PKR 14.8K

$121 R 1,987

-55.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.70 PKR 8,219

$108 R 1,781

-72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$144 PKR 39.8K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-85.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.6 PKR 19.3K

$717 R 11.8K

-90.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.3K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-87.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PKR 36.0K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-90.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$929 PKR 257.1K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-61.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 PKR 140.0K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-67.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

10.97

7.84%

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

Last update for Wah: 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

Wah

$99 24.4%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 126% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wah

$87 21.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 111% $96

Accommodation & Living

Wah

$70 17.1%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 930% $647

Clothing & Footwear

Wah

$58 14.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 147% $85

Eating Out

Wah

$48 11.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 265% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Wah

$28 6.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 140% $39

Getting Around

Wah

$18 4.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 321% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $144 in Wah 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Wah versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $99.0 vs $225 – making Wah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Wah

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

3 h behind Wah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400,733

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wah Cape Town 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wah
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

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

Cape Town costs about 289% more than Wah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $612 per month in Wah 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 Wah, 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 $408 in Wah and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 289%.

Public transport costs about 463% less in Wah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wah, where all-in costs run around $408, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Wah 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. Wah costs $408 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 Wah. 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.