Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al `arish and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $449 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Al `arish
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Al `arish Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Al `arish

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Al `arish versus $1,586 in Cape Town.

Al `arish $449
Cape Town $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Al `arish versus $2,425 in Cape Town.

Al `arish $735
Cape Town $2,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,022 in Al `arish versus $3,263 in Cape Town.

Al `arish $1,022
Cape Town $3,263

Living in Al `arish costs roughly 72% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al `arish is 67% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 E£218

$12.14 R 201

-66.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.03 E£750

$45.34 R 751

-69.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 E£256

$5.88 R 97.5

-18.54%

Cappuccino

$1.23 E£65.9

$2.50 R 41.40

-50.80%

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

$0.37 E£19.82

$1.27 R 21.06

-70.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.23

$0.98 R 16.23

-87.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£77.3

$2.99 R 49.60

-51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 E£157

$3.72 R 61.7

-21.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 E£45.54

$1.30 R 21.52

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 E£19.97

$1.25 R 20.79

-70.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.44

$2.23 R 36.97

-71.75%

Eggs

$1.43 E£76.2

$3.11 R 51.5

-54.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.53 E£135

$9.06 R 150

-72.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 E£194

$6.92 R 115

-47.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 E£417

$9.30 R 154

-16.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 E£77.9

$1.84 R 30.42

-20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 E£33.01

$1.96 R 32.47

-68.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.39 E£20.85

$1.67 R 27.60

-76.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 E£16.95

$2.17 R 35.90

-85.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.49

$1.57 R 25.96

-71.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 E£24.45

$1.48 R 24.59

-68.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 E£15.55

$1.30 R 21.53

-77.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.52

$1.13 R 18.71

-84.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 E£105

$3.60 R 59.7

-45.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 E£252

$6.15 R 102

-23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 E£54.0

$1.38 R 22.78

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 E£87.8

$2.14 R 35.39

-23.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£10.54

$1.50 R 24.79

-86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 E£15.53

$0.59 R 9.76

-50.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 E£21.00

$1.50 R 24.78

-74.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 E£64.4

$5.11 R 84.7

-76.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£24.55

$1.55 R 25.64

-70.32%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$36.2K R 599.8K

-9.74%

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

$24.6K E£1.3M

$31.2K R 517.7K

-21.29%

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

$14.84 E£793

$114 R 1,894

-87.02%

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

$6.99 E£373

$28.91 R 479

-75.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.08 E£1,340

$39.73 R 658

-36.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.29 E£977

$49.01 R 812

-62.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 E£208

$9.15 R 152

-57.38%

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

$85.2 E£4,555

$259 R 4,288

-67.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,336 E£124.8K

$6,794 R 112.5K

-65.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.30 E£550

$56.2 R 931

-81.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.64 E£2,546

$32.41 R 537

46.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 E£8,375

$121 R 1,998

29.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 E£3,013

$108 R 1,790

-47.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 E£7,035

$1,021 R 16.9K

-87.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.7 E£3,563

$717 R 11.9K

-90.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 E£12.5K

$1,824 R 30.2K

-87.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 E£8,785

$1,327 R 22.0K

-87.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$846 E£45.2K

$2,391 R 39.6K

-64.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$375 E£20.1K

$1,542 R 25.5K

-75.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

10.97

105.10%

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

Last update for Al `arish: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Al `arish

$122 27.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 17% $21

Groceries & Markets

Al `arish

$107 23.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 110% $118

Eating Out

Al `arish

$77 17.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 129% $99

Accommodation & Living

Al `arish

$67 14.9%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 975% $650

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al `arish

$47 10.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 290% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Al `arish

$26 5.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 158% $41

Getting Around

Al `arish

$3 * 0.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 2361% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $132 in Al `arish and $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Al `arish vs $45.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $107 vs $225 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Al `arish

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

1 h behind Al `arish

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,243

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 16.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al `arish Cape Town 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Al `arish
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

Al `arish vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 254% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $673 in Al `arish and $2,379 in Cape Town to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $132 in Al `arish versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $449 per month in Al `arish versus $1,586 in Cape Town – a 254% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $449 in Al `arish versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al `arish delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $449 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al `arish hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Al `arish gentler on the wallet – expenses run 254% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.