Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Gafsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Gafsa: $586 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Gafsa
Learn more

Gafsa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Gafsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Cape Town $1,586
Gafsa $586

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $903 in Gafsa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Gafsa $903

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,220 in Gafsa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Gafsa $1,220

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Gafsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Gafsa is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.96 TND 11.86

206.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$9.87 TND 29.56

359.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$2.47 TND 7.40

138.06%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.58 TND 1.74

331.03%

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 0.71

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.72 TND 5.15

73.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.68 TND 5.05

121.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.46 TND 1.39

182.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.13 TND 0.39

861.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.67 TND 5.02

33.53%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.04 TND 3.13

199.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$12.88 TND 38.59

-29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.98 TND 17.90

15.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.60 TND 34.75

-19.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.39 TND 4.15

32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$3.02 TND 9.05

-35.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.83 TND 2.48

101.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.93 TND 2.78

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.71 TND 2.12

121.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.47 TND 1.40

214.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.45 TND 1.35

188.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.27 TND 0.81

318.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.52 TND 7.54

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.16 TND 15.47

19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.22 TND 3.66

13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.35 TND 4.05

58.52%

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

$10.92 TND 32.70

456.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.29 TND 0.86

103.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.25 TND 0.75

500.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.13 TND 12.37

23.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.87 TND 2.61

78.16%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$38.2K TND 114.5K

-5.28%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.4K TND 93.9K

-0.34%

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

$114 R 1,883

$39.47 TND 118

189.64%

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

$28.91 R 476

$8.41 TND 25.20

243.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$19.27 TND 57.7

106.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$15.29 TND 45.80

220.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$12.41 TND 37.16

-11.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.43 TND 10.27

166.76%

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

$259 R 4,264

$59.1 TND 177

338.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,023 TND 3,065

563.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$39.72 TND 119

41.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$52.5 TND 157

-38.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$104 TND 313

15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$113 TND 340

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$141 TND 422

624.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$102 TND 304

606.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$205 TND 615

788.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$153 TND 458

767.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$969 TND 2,904

146.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$358 TND 1,073

330.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$305 TND 913

437.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

8.88

23.54%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gafsa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Gafsa

$102 17.3% 85.8% $615

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Gafsa

$180 30.8% 19.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Gafsa

$67 11.5% 63.3% $116

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Gafsa

$61 10.4% 65.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Gafsa

$140 23.8% 2.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Gafsa

$14 2.3% 81.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Gafsa

$22 3.8% 67.1% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $141 in Gafsa. 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 437% 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 $10.00 in Gafsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $180 – making Gafsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 Gafsa

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

23:26 11:26 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

111,170

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Gafsa 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Gafsa

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 Gafsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Gafsa, 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 $878 in Gafsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gafsa, 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 $586 in Gafsa. That's a gap of about 171%.

Public transport costs about 456% less in Gafsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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