Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Zahlah vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zahlah $997
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Zahlah vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zahlah $1,599
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,201 per month in Zahlah vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Zahlah $2,201
Cape Town $3,263

Zahlah is about 37% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Zahlah sits 26% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

$12.14 R 200

-1.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

$45.34 R 747

53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

$5.88 R 96.9

67.52%

Cappuccino

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

$2.50 R 41.18

80.00%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

$1.27 R 20.94

88.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

$0.98 R 16.14

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

$2.99 R 49.33

67.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

$3.72 R 61.4

29.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

$1.30 R 21.40

49.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

$1.25 R 20.68

-30.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

$2.23 R 36.76

0.45%

Eggs

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

$3.11 R 51.2

14.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

$9.06 R 149

24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

$6.92 R 114

51.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

$9.30 R 153

59.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

$1.84 R 30.25

63.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

$1.96 R 32.29

-15.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

$1.67 R 27.45

-2.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

$2.17 R 35.70

-31.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

$1.57 R 25.81

-19.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

$1.48 R 24.45

8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

$1.30 R 21.41

-10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

$1.13 R 18.60

-37.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

$3.60 R 59.3

-18.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

$6.15 R 101

75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

$1.38 R 22.66

-7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

$2.14 R 35.20

15.42%

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)

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

$0.59 R 9.71

723.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

$1.50 R 24.65

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

$5.11 R 84.2

335.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

$1.55 R 25.50

-32.90%

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

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

$36.2K R 596.5K

49.65%

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

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

$31.2K R 514.8K

3.39%

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

$233 LBP 20.9M

$114 R 1,883

104.19%

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

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

$28.91 R 476

-22.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

$39.73 R 654

-5.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

$9.15 R 151

7.21%

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

$675 LBP 60.4M

$259 R 4,264

160.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

$6,794 R 111.9K

53.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

$56.2 R 926

19.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

$32.41 R 534

49.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.3M

$121 R 1,987

14.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.6M

$108 R 1,781

9.78%

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 %)

10.97

0.27%

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

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$294 29.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 37.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.4%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 17.8% $49

Eating Out

Zahlah

$227 22.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 22.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$167 16.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 14.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 243% $48

Getting Around

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 366% $59

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 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 $70.0 in Zahlah versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

1 h behind Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zahlah Cape Town 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zahlah
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

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

Cape Town costs about 59% more than Zahlah, 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 $1,496 per month in Zahlah 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 $997 in Zahlah and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 59%.

Kindergarten costs $675 per month in Zahlah and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Zahlah 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. Zahlah costs $997 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 Zahlah. 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.