Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Casablanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Casablanca: $984 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Casablanca
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Casablanca Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $984 in Casablanca, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Casablanca $984

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,534 in Casablanca, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Casablanca $1,534

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,084 in Casablanca, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Casablanca $2,084

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Casablanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Casablanca is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.63 MAD 45.13

162.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$32.69 MAD 319

38.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$8.14 MAD 79.4

-27.76%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.04 MAD 19.86

22.55%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.09 MAD 10.62

16.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.61 MAD 5.99

60.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$4.10 MAD 39.99

-27.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.70 MAD 55.5

-34.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.91 MAD 8.87

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.89 MAD 8.67

40.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.91 MAD 18.61

16.75%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.85 MAD 18.06

68.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.93 MAD 107

-17.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.28 MAD 71.0

-4.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.25 MAD 119

-24.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.62 MAD 15.75

13.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.58 MAD 15.44

24.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.85 MAD 8.26

96.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.70 MAD 6.80

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.61 MAD 5.92

157.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.69 MAD 6.73

114.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.46 MAD 4.46

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.55 MAD 5.35

105.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.01 MAD 39.12

-10.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.52 MAD 83.0

-27.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.29 MAD 22.37

-39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.04 MAD 29.69

-29.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.81 MAD 7.85

85.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$25.88 MAD 252

134.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.82 MAD 7.95

-28.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.30 MAD 2.91

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.71 MAD 45.95

8.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.52 MAD 14.83

1.97%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$30.5K MAD 297.5K

18.66%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.4K MAD 296.7K

2.69%

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

$114 R 1,883

$52.2 MAD 509

119.13%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.17 MAD 99.1

184.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$41.61 MAD 406

-4.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.20 MAD 314

52.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$21.37 MAD 208

-48.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.63 MAD 74.4

19.92%

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

$259 R 4,264

$589 MAD 5,744

-56.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,573 MAD 54.3K

21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$59.1 MAD 576

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$46.20 MAD 450

-29.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$94.6 MAD 922

27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$61.3 MAD 598

76.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$619 MAD 6,031

65.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$350 MAD 3,411

104.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,125 MAD 11.0K

62.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$647 MAD 6,306

105.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,238 MAD 21.8K

6.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,266 MAD 12.3K

21.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$676 MAD 6,595

142.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.83

127.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Casablanca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Casablanca

$350 35.5% 51.2% $367

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Casablanca

$210 21.3% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Casablanca

$104 10.6% 43.2% $79

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Casablanca

$125 12.7% 29.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Casablanca

$118 11.9% 17.7% $25

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Casablanca

$31 3.2% 58% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Casablanca

$47 4.8% 29.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $619 in Casablanca. 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 142% 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 $33.00 in Casablanca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $210 – making Casablanca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Casablanca

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,215,935

💱 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 Casablanca 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Casablanca

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 Casablanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Casablanca, 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 $1,477 in Casablanca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Casablanca, 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 $984 in Casablanca. That's a gap of about 61%.

Public transport costs about 135% less in Casablanca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Casablanca, where all-in costs run around $984, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Casablanca 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. Casablanca costs $984 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Casablanca. 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.