Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $959 in Polokwane, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Polokwane

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairo and in Polokwane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $959 in Polokwane, rent included.

Cairo $647
Polokwane $959

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,417 in Polokwane, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Polokwane $1,417

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Polokwane $1,875

Cairo is about 33% cheaper than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Polokwane are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Polokwane 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$12.24 R 202

-62.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$29.66 R 489

-5.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$7.46 R 123

-19.17%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.38 R 39.26

-27.73%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$0.77 R 12.68

-53.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.88 R 14.47

-86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.68 R 27.65

-10.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$1.88 R 30.95

23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.32 R 21.71

-30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.08 R 17.82

-32.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.70 R 28.03

-56.47%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.65 R 43.69

-55.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$7.84 R 129

-44.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$4.59 R 75.6

9.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$6.04 R 99.6

53.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.01 R 33.19

-11.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.85 R 30.53

-60.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.81 R 29.80

-69.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.96 R 32.30

-74.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.67 R 27.49

-74.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.50 R 24.73

-72.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.12 R 18.48

-70.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.82 R 13.46

-74.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$2.68 R 44.22

-26.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$4.87 R 80.2

60.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.15 R 18.88

38.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.61 R 26.54

29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$0.92 R 15.22

-61.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$30.03 R 495

-71.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.87 R 14.41

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.95 R 15.66

-76.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$14.36 R 237

-89.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.43 R 23.52

-69.93%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$26.1K R 430.1K

25.26%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$28.5K R 469.0K

-4.35%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$138 R 2,281

-80.30%

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

$8.58 E£458

$38.10 R 628

-77.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$32.99 R 544

-57.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$23.29 R 384

27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$8.00 R 132

-39.25%

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

$121 E£6,438

$179 R 2,946

-32.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$1,452 R 23.9K

145.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$45.30 R 746

-11.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$37.73 R 622

31.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$80.6 R 1,328

42.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$93.7 R 1,544

-35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$290 R 4,785

-23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$203 R 3,338

-3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$420 R 6,922

30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$284 R 4,683

21.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$1,343 R 22.1K

-85.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

10.91

48.58%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 3.9% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 30.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 2.8% $3.3

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 86.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 320% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 0.3% $0.1

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 240% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $290 in Polokwane. 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 572% higher in Polokwane, 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $30.00 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $185 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

628,999

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Cairo Polokwane 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Polokwane

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

Cairo vs Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Polokwane is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,439 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 31% more in Polokwane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $30.00 in Polokwane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $959 in Polokwane, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Polokwane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.