Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Fes

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Fes
Learn more

Fes Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Fes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $675 in Fes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Fes $675

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,042 in Fes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Fes $1,042

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,408 in Fes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Fes $1,408

Cape Town costs about 135% more than Fes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Fes is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.04 MAD 29.68

299.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$31.52 MAD 307

43.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.09 MAD 59.4

-3.45%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.31 MAD 12.82

90.84%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.54 MAD 5.31

135.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.38 MAD 3.75

157.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.67 MAD 35.81

-18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.20 MAD 40.98

-11.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.79 MAD 7.72

64.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.54 MAD 5.26

131.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.74 MAD 16.99

28.16%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.87 MAD 18.27

66.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.74 MAD 95.0

-6.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.44 MAD 43.30

55.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.50 MAD 92.6

-2.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.89 MAD 18.46

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.57 MAD 15.31

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.08 MAD 10.53

54.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.05 MAD 10.21

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.91 MAD 8.89

72.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.05 MAD 10.27

40.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.48 MAD 4.70

170.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.57 MAD 5.51

98.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.31 MAD 41.98

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.52 MAD 44.08

36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.67 MAD 26.07

-48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.16 MAD 30.85

-32.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.39 MAD 3.83

284.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.14 MAD 98.9

499.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.64 MAD 6.24

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.75 MAD 7.28

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.44 MAD 14.00

7.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.9K MAD 339.9K

3.86%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$34.5K MAD 336.5K

-9.46%

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

$114 R 1,883

$32.49 MAD 317

251.86%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.33 MAD 101

179.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$35.45 MAD 346

12.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$26.35 MAD 257

86.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$19.30 MAD 188

-43.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.03 MAD 49.00

81.91%

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

$259 R 4,264

$94.6 MAD 922

173.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,313 MAD 61.6K

7.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$19.29 MAD 188

191.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$52.4 MAD 511

-38.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$81.8 MAD 797

47.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$56.7 MAD 552

90.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$313 MAD 3,050

226.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$183 MAD 1,782

292.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$539 MAD 5,252

238.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$249 MAD 2,431

432.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$724 MAD 7,062

230.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$342 MAD 3,333

351.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$483 MAD 4,709

239.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

119.40%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fes: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Fes

$183 27.1% 74.5% $534

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Fes

$178 26.4% 20.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Fes

$78 11.6% 57.2% $105

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Fes

$89 13.2% 49.5% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Fes

$95 14% 33.8% $48

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Fes

$16 2.4% 78.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Fes

$36 5.4% 45.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $313 in Fes. 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 239% 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 $32.00 in Fes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $178 – making Fes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Fes

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,167,842

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Fes 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Fes

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 Fes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 135% more than Fes, 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 $1,013 in Fes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fes, 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 $675 in Fes. That's a gap of about 135%.

Public transport costs about 499% less in Fes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fes, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Fes 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. Fes costs $675 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 Fes. 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.