Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ait Melloul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ait Melloul: $667 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ait Melloul
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Ait Melloul Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ait Melloul

🇲🇦 Morocco

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ait Melloul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $667 in Ait Melloul.

Cape Town $1,586
Ait Melloul $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,027 in Ait Melloul.

Cape Town $2,425
Ait Melloul $1,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,386 in Ait Melloul.

Cape Town $3,263
Ait Melloul $1,386

Living in Cape Town is roughly 138% more expensive than in Ait Melloul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Ait Melloul is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.61 MAD 35.15

236.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$24.96 MAD 243

81.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.16 MAD 60.1

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.11 MAD 20.53

18.48%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.82 MAD 7.95

54.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.57 MAD 5.56

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.10 MAD 49.73

-41.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.41 MAD 42.96

-15.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.80 MAD 7.81

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.54 MAD 5.26

131.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.51 MAD 14.77

47.68%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.62 MAD 15.81

91.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.83 MAD 76.3

15.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.45 MAD 53.2

26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.79 MAD 115

-21.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.25 MAD 12.23

47.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.18 MAD 11.48

66.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.84 MAD 8.17

98.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.79 MAD 7.75

174.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.71 MAD 6.93

121.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.76 MAD 7.41

94.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.25 MAD 2.44

420.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.56 MAD 5.46

101.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.12 MAD 40.14

-12.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.55 MAD 73.6

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.33 MAD 22.70

-40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.24 MAD 31.61

-33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.57 MAD 5.58

163.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$20.98 MAD 205

189.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.65 MAD 6.34

-9.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.60 MAD 5.85

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.13 MAD 69.5

-28.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.45 MAD 14.16

6.90%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$33.8K MAD 329.3K

7.20%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.3K MAD 295.1K

3.23%

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

$114 R 1,883

$24.40 MAD 238

368.52%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.02 MAD 87.9

220.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.62 MAD 289

34.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$23.05 MAD 225

112.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$17.96 MAD 175

-38.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.02 MAD 48.95

82.27%

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

$259 R 4,264

$69.7 MAD 679

271.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,859 MAD 18.1K

265.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$31.11 MAD 303

80.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$43.52 MAD 424

-25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$59.0 MAD 575

104.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$47.72 MAD 465

126.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$283 MAD 2,758

260.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$173 MAD 1,687

314.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$436 MAD 4,253

318.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$252 MAD 2,458

426.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,366 MAD 13.3K

75.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$767 MAD 7,478

101.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.5

143.78%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ait Melloul: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ait Melloul

$173 25.9% 75.9% $544

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ait Melloul

$177 26.6% 21.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ait Melloul

$63 9.4% 65.5% $120

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ait Melloul

$112 16.9% 36.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ait Melloul

$82 12.2% 42.9% $61

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ait Melloul

$27 4% 64% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ait Melloul

$33 5% 50.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $283 in Ait Melloul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $25.00 in Ait Melloul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $177 per month, with Ait Melloul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Ait Melloul

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

171,847

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Ait Melloul 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ait Melloul

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

Cape Town vs Ait Melloul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ait Melloul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 138% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $1,001 in Ait Melloul 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: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $283 in Ait Melloul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $259 in Cape Town versus $69.7 in Ait Melloul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $667 in Ait Melloul versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ait Melloul but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Ait Melloul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ait Melloul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cape Town, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Ait Melloul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ait Melloul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.