Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ben Arous

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ben Arous

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

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

Cape Town $1,586
Ben Arous $698

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

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

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

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

Cape Town costs about 127% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.31 TND 15.90

128.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$19.81 TND 59.3

128.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.06 TND 15.14

16.21%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.16 TND 3.48

115.52%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.65 TND 1.95

95.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.27 TND 0.81

262.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.65 TND 4.95

81.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.04 TND 6.12

82.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.52 TND 1.54

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.10 TND 0.29

1150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.70 TND 5.08

31.18%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.48 TND 4.43

110.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.27 TND 30.76

-11.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.91 TND 17.70

17.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$17.19 TND 51.5

-45.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.67 TND 5.01

10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$4.47 TND 13.38

-56.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.95 TND 2.84

75.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.80 TND 2.41

171.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.90 TND 2.69

74.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.66 TND 1.97

124.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.52 TND 1.56

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.31 TND 0.93

264.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.49 TND 10.46

3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.62 TND 19.82

-7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.00 TND 2.99

38.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.23 TND 3.68

73.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.38 TND 1.14

294.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$13.56 TND 40.61

348.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.31 TND 0.93

90.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.31 TND 0.92

383.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.75 TND 5.23

192.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.86 TND 2.58

80.23%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$39.9K TND 119.6K

-9.36%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$23.0K TND 69.0K

35.59%

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

$114 R 1,883

$53.9 TND 162

111.98%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.87 TND 29.56

192.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$20.83 TND 62.4

90.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.08 TND 96.1

52.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$16.52 TND 49.46

-33.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.11 TND 15.29

79.06%

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

$259 R 4,264

$61.0 TND 183

324.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,947 TND 5,830

249.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$43.31 TND 130

29.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$60.2 TND 180

-46.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$85.8 TND 257

40.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$46.95 TND 141

130.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$209 TND 626

388.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$156 TND 467

359.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$386 TND 1,155

372.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$267 TND 799

397.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$933 TND 2,795

156.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$415 TND 1,243

271.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$247 TND 739

564.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.5

4.48%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 78.2% $561

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 9.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 53.7% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 50.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 25.5% $36

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 77.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 37.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

88,322

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cape Town
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,047 in Ben Arous. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town and $20.00 in Ben Arous. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $698 in Ben Arous. 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.