Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $457 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Alexandria

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 Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $457 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Alexandria $457

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,074 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Alexandria $1,074

Cape Town costs about 243% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Alexandria is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$4.22 E£221

179.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$19.34 E£1,012

140.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$4.89 E£256

21.88%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.32 E£69.2

87.12%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.33 E£17.52

303.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.11 E£5.74

836.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.32 E£68.9

128.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$2.89 E£151

26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.89 E£46.56

56.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.68 E£35.57

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$0.60 E£31.60

251.67%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.18 E£61.8

155.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$3.91 E£205

129.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$4.41 E£231

50.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$9.14 E£478

1.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.56 E£81.5

17.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.80 E£41.85

137.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$0.53 E£27.47

230.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.36 E£18.63

480.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.26 E£13.63

496.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.32 E£16.88

365.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.25 E£13.04

420.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.21 E£11.17

452.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.93 E£101

92.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.62 E£294

7.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.21 E£63.2

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.25 E£118

-2.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.19 E£9.89

694.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$11.58 E£606

426.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.55 E£29.02

14.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.53 E£27.80

188.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$1.16 E£60.6

314.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.47 E£24.62

236.17%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$32.7K E£1.7M

8.64%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$26.6K E£1.4M

19.17%

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

$116 R 1,920

$14.06 E£736

727.74%

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

$28.37 R 468

$6.67 E£349

325.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$13.58 E£710

199.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$12.74 E£667

283.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$7.48 E£392

48.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$2.90 E£152

204.48%

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

$261 R 4,314

$88.5 E£4,628

195.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$2,142 E£112.1K

212.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$33.60 E£1,758

64.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$46.46 E£2,431

-30.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$129 E£6,737

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$57.6 E£3,015

85.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$134 E£7,026

655.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$69.3 E£3,624

932.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$292 E£15.3K

517.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$146 E£7,629

812.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$698 E£36.5K

234.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$441 E£23.1K

243.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$142 E£7,430

1052.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

21.33

-48.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Alexandria

$69 15% 90.3% $646

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Alexandria

$127 27.5% 42.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Alexandria

$34 7.4% 81.5% $151

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Alexandria

$78 16.9% 54.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Alexandria

$120 25.9% 14.7% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Alexandria

$16 3.4% 79.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Alexandria

$19 4% 72.1% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $134 in Alexandria. 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 1052% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $127 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

4,546,231

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Alexandria 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 243% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $686 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $88.5 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $457 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. 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.