Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and El Kef

For one person, living is cheaper in El Kef: $610 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in El Kef
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El Kef Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

El Kef

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $610 in El Kef, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
El Kef $610

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $959 in El Kef, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
El Kef $959

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,308 in El Kef, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
El Kef $1,308

Cape Town costs about 160% more than El Kef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while El Kef is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.34 TND 15.99

127.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$13.49 TND 40.39

236.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.55 TND 13.63

29.23%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.65 TND 1.94

284.62%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.52 TND 1.55

144.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.24 TND 0.72

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.88 TND 2.65

239.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$0.98 TND 2.92

279.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.46 TND 1.39

182.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.20 TND 0.60

525.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.78 TND 5.34

25.28%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.44 TND 4.30

115.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$15.02 TND 45.00

-39.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.41 TND 19.20

7.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.67 TND 43.94

-36.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.59 TND 4.76

15.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.69 TND 5.06

15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.02 TND 3.06

63.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.57 TND 1.72

280.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.38 TND 1.14

313.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.19 TND 0.56

678.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.45 TND 1.36

188.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.29 TND 0.86

289.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.45 TND 10.32

4.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.33 TND 12.98

42.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.70 TND 2.11

97.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$0.93 TND 2.77

130.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.32 TND 0.95

368.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$9.99 TND 29.93

508.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.31 TND 0.94

90.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.29 TND 0.87

417.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.96 TND 11.87

29.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.83 TND 2.49

86.75%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$38.8K TND 116.3K

-6.74%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$36.7K TND 109.8K

-14.78%

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

$114 R 1,883

$26.87 TND 80.5

325.46%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.57 TND 31.65

173.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$13.92 TND 41.70

185.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$27.30 TND 81.8

79.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$12.16 TND 36.42

-9.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.36 TND 10.05

172.32%

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

$259 R 4,264

$61.2 TND 183

322.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,972 TND 5,905

244.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$23.11 TND 69.2

143.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$68.0 TND 204

-52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$39.88 TND 119

202.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$78.3 TND 234

38.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$208 TND 624

389.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$157 TND 470

356.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$365 TND 1,093

399.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$269 TND 804

394.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$939 TND 2,813

154.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$628 TND 1,880

145.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$168 TND 504

873.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for El Kef: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

El Kef

$157 25.7% 78.1% $560

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

El Kef

$187 30.6% 17.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

El Kef

$51 8.4% 71.9% $132

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

El Kef

$74 12.1% 58.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

El Kef

$94 15.5% 34% $49

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

El Kef

$13 2.1% 82.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

El Kef

$34 5.6% 49.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $208 in El Kef. 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 873% 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 $13.00 in El Kef. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $187 – making El Kef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 El Kef

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

73,710

💱 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 El Kef 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
El Kef

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 Kef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 160% more than El Kef, 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 $914 in El Kef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Kef, 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 $610 in El Kef. That's a gap of about 160%.

Public transport costs about 508% less in El Kef. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Kef, where all-in costs run around $610, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In El Kef 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 Kef costs $610 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 El Kef. 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.