Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 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 Carthage
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Carthage Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $693 in Carthage, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Carthage $693

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,100 in Carthage, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Carthage $1,100

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,508 in Carthage, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Carthage $1,508

Cape Town costs about 129% more than Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Carthage is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.09 TND 12.26

196.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$22.71 TND 68.0

99.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.89 TND 17.65

-0.17%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.15 TND 3.44

117.39%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.73 TND 2.20

73.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.29 TND 0.88

237.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.70 TND 5.08

75.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.05 TND 6.14

81.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.49 TND 1.46

165.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.26 TND 0.78

380.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.78 TND 5.33

25.28%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.84 TND 5.50

69.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.20 TND 30.56

-11.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.74 TND 17.21

20.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.42 TND 43.20

-35.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.31 TND 3.92

40.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$3.65 TND 10.93

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.17 TND 3.49

42.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.83 TND 2.48

161.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.90 TND 2.70

74.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.69 TND 2.07

114.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.53 TND 1.60

145.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.34 TND 1.03

232.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.59 TND 10.75

0.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.62 TND 19.82

-7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.23 TND 3.68

12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.24 TND 3.72

72.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.43 TND 1.30

248.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$13.96 TND 41.82

335.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.31 TND 0.92

90.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.34 TND 1.03

341.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.78 TND 5.34

187.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.88 TND 2.63

76.14%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$39.9K TND 119.4K

-9.18%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$35.4K TND 106.1K

-11.83%

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

$114 R 1,883

$45.22 TND 135

152.81%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.23 TND 27.63

213.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$20.98 TND 62.9

89.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.18 TND 96.4

52.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$13.26 TND 39.70

-17.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.17 TND 15.49

76.98%

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

$259 R 4,264

$104 TND 311

148.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,218 TND 9,637

111.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$43.72 TND 131

28.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$59.3 TND 178

-45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$114 TND 340

6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$67.7 TND 203

59.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$211 TND 633

383.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$154 TND 463

364.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$209 TND 625

773.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$272 TND 815

387.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$972 TND 2,911

146.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$622 TND 1,862

147.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$269 TND 807

508.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Carthage

$154 22.3% 78.5% $562

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Carthage

$194 28% 13.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Carthage

$75 10.9% 58.8% $108

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Carthage

$81 11.7% 54.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Carthage

$128 18.5% 10.4% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Carthage

$18 2.6% 76.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Carthage

$43 6.1% 36.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $211 in Carthage. 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 508% 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 $23.00 in Carthage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $194 – making Carthage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 Carthage

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

21,276

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Carthage 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Carthage

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 Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 129% more than Carthage, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,039 in Carthage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $693 in Carthage. That's a gap of about 129%.

Public transport costs about 335% less in Carthage. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Carthage, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Carthage 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. Carthage costs $693 versus $1,586 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 Carthage. 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.