Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ben Arous and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $698 per month in Ben Arous vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ben Arous $698
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,098 per month in Ben Arous vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,098
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,497 per month in Ben Arous vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,497
Cape Town $3,263

Ben Arous is about 56% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ben Arous sits 48% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 TND 15.90

$12.14 R 200

-56.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.81 TND 59.3

$45.34 R 747

-56.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 TND 15.14

$5.88 R 96.9

-13.95%

Cappuccino

$1.16 TND 3.48

$2.50 R 41.18

-53.60%

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

$0.65 TND 1.95

$1.27 R 20.94

-48.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$0.98 R 16.14

-72.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.65 TND 4.95

$2.99 R 49.33

-44.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 TND 6.12

$3.72 R 61.4

-45.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 TND 1.54

$1.30 R 21.40

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.10 TND 0.29

$1.25 R 20.68

-92.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 TND 5.08

$2.23 R 36.76

-23.77%

Eggs

$1.48 TND 4.43

$3.11 R 51.2

-52.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 TND 30.76

$9.06 R 149

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 TND 17.70

$6.92 R 114

-14.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 TND 51.5

$9.30 R 153

84.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 TND 5.01

$1.84 R 30.25

-9.24%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 TND 13.38

$1.96 R 32.29

128.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 TND 2.84

$1.67 R 27.45

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 TND 2.41

$2.17 R 35.70

-63.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 TND 2.69

$1.57 R 25.81

-42.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 TND 1.97

$1.48 R 24.45

-55.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 TND 1.56

$1.30 R 21.41

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$1.13 R 18.60

-72.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 TND 10.46

$3.60 R 59.3

-3.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 TND 19.82

$6.15 R 101

7.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 TND 2.99

$1.38 R 22.66

-27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 TND 3.68

$2.14 R 35.20

-42.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 TND 1.14

$1.50 R 24.65

-74.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.56 TND 40.61

$60.8 R 1,001

-77.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$0.59 R 9.71

-47.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.92

$1.50 R 24.65

-79.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 TND 5.23

$5.11 R 84.2

-65.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$1.55 R 25.50

-44.52%

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

$39.9K TND 119.6K

$36.2K R 596.5K

10.33%

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

$23.0K TND 69.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-26.25%

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

$53.9 TND 162

$114 R 1,883

-52.83%

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

$9.87 TND 29.56

$28.91 R 476

-65.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 TND 62.4

$39.73 R 654

-47.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.08 TND 96.1

$49.01 R 808

-34.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 TND 49.46

$10.99 R 181

50.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 TND 15.29

$9.15 R 151

-44.15%

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

$61.0 TND 183

$259 R 4,264

-76.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,947 TND 5,830

$6,794 R 111.9K

-71.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.31 TND 130

$56.2 R 926

-22.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 TND 180

$32.41 R 534

85.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 TND 257

$121 R 1,987

-28.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.95 TND 141

$108 R 1,781

-56.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 TND 626

$1,021 R 16.8K

-79.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 TND 467

$717 R 11.8K

-78.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 TND 1,155

$1,824 R 30.1K

-78.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 TND 799

$1,327 R 21.9K

-79.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$933 TND 2,795

$2,391 R 39.4K

-60.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$415 TND 1,243

$1,542 R 25.4K

-73.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 TND 739

$1,639 R 27.0K

-84.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.97

-4.28%

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

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ben Arous

$204 29.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 10.1% $21

Accommodation & Living

Ben Arous

$156 22.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 359% $561

Clothing & Footwear

Ben Arous

$106 15.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 34.3% $36

Eating Out

Ben Arous

$88 12.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 101% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ben Arous

$85 12.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 116% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Ben Arous

$42 6.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 59.1% $25

Getting Around

Ben Arous

$17 2.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 342% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Ben Arous 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 564% 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $225 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

1 h ahead of Ben Arous

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,322

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 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 TND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ben Arous Cape Town 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ben Arous
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

Ben Arous vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $698 in Ben Arous, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 127% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,047 per month in Ben Arous 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 Ben Arous, 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $698 in Ben Arous and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 127%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $698 in Ben Arous to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ben Arous. 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.