Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aswan and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $434 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Aswan
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Aswan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Aswan

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $434 per month in Aswan vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aswan $434
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $701 per month in Aswan vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aswan $701
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $969 per month in Aswan vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Aswan $969
Cape Town $3,320

Aswan is about 73% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Aswan sits 68% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 E£207

$12.07 R 199

-67.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.90 E£796

$46.65 R 769

-68.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 E£250

$6.20 R 102

-24.35%

Cappuccino

$1.31 E£70.0

$2.50 R 41.13

-47.60%

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

$0.30 E£15.98

$1.35 R 22.28

-77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.36

$1.00 R 16.47

-86.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 E£69.2

$3.06 R 50.4

-57.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 E£154

$3.67 R 60.5

-21.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£46.25

$1.30 R 21.45

-33.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 E£34.78

$1.27 R 20.89

-48.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 E£31.05

$2.17 R 35.68

-73.27%

Eggs

$1.20 E£64.2

$3.09 R 50.9

-61.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.24 E£173

$8.98 R 148

-63.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$6.99 R 115

-41.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 E£419

$9.67 R 159

-18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.87 R 30.78

-21.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£35.88

$1.93 R 31.72

-65.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£26.11

$1.77 R 29.13

-72.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£18.89

$2.18 R 35.86

-83.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.31

$1.52 R 25.07

-77.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.85

$1.56 R 25.63

-78.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.21

$1.32 R 21.74

-81.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£8.83

$1.15 R 18.97

-85.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 E£99.8

$3.72 R 61.4

-49.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 E£338

$6.01 R 99.0

5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 E£64.0

$1.34 R 22.13

-10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 E£107

$2.13 R 35.11

-6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 E£9.69

$1.55 R 25.53

-88.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.12

$0.60 R 9.85

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.60

$1.54 R 25.36

-85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 E£63.8

$5.01 R 82.5

-76.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.21

$1.60 R 26.33

-71.88%

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

$31.9K E£1.7M

$35.4K R 583.4K

-9.96%

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

$25.1K E£1.3M

$34.7K R 570.9K

-27.70%

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

$15.10 E£806

$119 R 1,955

-87.27%

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

$6.64 E£354

$29.42 R 485

-77.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 E£703

$39.81 R 656

-66.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.36 E£874

$50.8 R 836

-67.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.78 E£255

$10.93 R 180

-56.27%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£157

$8.99 R 148

-67.41%

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

$86.6 E£4,622

$261 R 4,303

-66.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,865 E£99.6K

$6,966 R 114.8K

-73.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.97 E£906

$56.1 R 925

-69.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 E£2,405

$33.26 R 548

35.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,132

$121 R 1,999

-5.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 E£2,982

$108 R 1,779

-48.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 E£7,091

$1,028 R 16.9K

-87.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 E£4,108

$720 R 11.9K

-89.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 E£13.5K

$1,835 R 30.2K

-86.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£7,713

$1,360 R 22.4K

-89.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$767 E£40.9K

$2,407 R 39.6K

-68.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 E£18.5K

$1,504 R 24.8K

-76.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

10.97

47.77%

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

Last update for Aswan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aswan

$118 27.3%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 91.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Aswan

$105 24.1%

Cape Town

$143 9% 37% $39

Accommodation & Living

Aswan

$77 17.7%

Cape Town

$720 45% 835% $643

Eating Out

Aswan

$75 17.2%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 137% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aswan

$35 8%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 438% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Aswan

$22 5.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 209% $47

Getting Around

Aswan

$2.2 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 3329% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Aswan versus $1,028 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 $15.00 in Aswan versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $118 vs $226 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Aswan

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h behind Aswan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,261

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 = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 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 EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aswan Cape Town 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Aswan
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

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

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 268%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $651 per month in Aswan and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aswan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Aswan and $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aswan, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Aswan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aswan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Aswan. 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.