Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and El Gouna

For one person, living is cheaper in El Gouna: $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
22

Cost of Living Index in El Gouna
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El Gouna Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

El Gouna

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in El Gouna

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

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

Cape Town $1,568
El Gouna $457

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $730 in El Gouna, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
El Gouna $730

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,002 in El Gouna, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
El Gouna $1,002

Cape Town costs about 243% more than El Gouna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$3.59 E£189

228.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 770

$15.95 E£839

191.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.7

$4.64 E£244

28.45%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.92

$1.49 E£78.4

65.77%

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

$1.33 R 21.98

$0.29 E£15.07

358.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.04

$0.10 E£5.25

930.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.87

$1.21 E£63.6

148.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.6

$2.91 E£153

25.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.02

$0.87 E£45.61

59.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.66

$0.59 E£30.86

101.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.94

$0.71 E£37.11

197.18%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.73

$1.39 E£72.9

116.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$3.37 E£177

165.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$4.23 E£222

57.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$8.53 E£448

8.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.22

$1.47 E£77.2

24.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.40

$0.57 E£30.14

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$0.43 E£22.47

306.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.51

$0.40 E£20.93

422.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.72

$0.37 E£19.56

318.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.60

$0.41 E£21.43

263.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.48

$0.24 E£12.66

441.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.25

$0.21 E£11.23

452.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.3

$1.96 E£103

89.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$6.48 E£341

-6.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.92

$1.26 E£66.1

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.42

$1.88 E£98.6

17.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.05

$0.17 E£8.98

788.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,009

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.36

$0.39 E£20.46

61.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.37

$0.29 E£15.24

427.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.6

$2.00 E£105

140.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.16

$0.33 E£17.57

378.79%

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

$35.5K R 587.4K

$35.9K E£1.9M

-1.00%

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

$31.7K R 525.4K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-2.76%

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

$116 R 1,926

$11.82 E£622

884.60%

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

$28.37 R 469

$6.88 E£362

312.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 673

$11.01 E£579

269.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 808

$20.42 E£1,074

139.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$2.98 E£157

196.31%

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

$261 R 4,326

$89.3 E£4,695

192.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.9K

$1,820 E£95.7K

268.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 917

$27.68 E£1,456

100.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 534

$44.99 E£2,367

-28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,944

$109 E£5,707

8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,771

$49.98 E£2,629

114.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$190 E£9,998

433.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$100 E£5,286

611.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.8K

$271 E£14.3K

563.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$153 E£8,056

768.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.6K

$795 E£41.8K

193.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$488 E£25.6K

210.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

16.67

-34.19%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for El Gouna: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

El Gouna

$100 21.9% 86% $615

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

El Gouna

$123 26.7% 44.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

El Gouna

$30 6.5% 84% $156

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

El Gouna

$74 16.1% 57.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

El Gouna

$104 22.6% 26% $36

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

El Gouna

$2.5 * 0.6% 96.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

El Gouna

$26 5.7% 60.3% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $190 in El Gouna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $16.00 in El Gouna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $123 – making El Gouna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 El Gouna

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 EGP = 1.9 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 16.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 52.6 EGP (100 EGP = 1.9 USD). 1 EUR = 58.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town El Gouna 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
El Gouna

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 El Gouna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 243% more than El Gouna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 El Gouna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Gouna, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $457 in El Gouna. That's a gap of about 243%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $89.3 in El Gouna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Gouna, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In El Gouna 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. El Gouna 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.

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 El Gouna. 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.