Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Guelma

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelma: $523 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Guelma
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Guelma Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Guelma

🇩🇿 Algeria

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $523 in Guelma, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Guelma $523

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $849 in Guelma, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Guelma $849

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,176 in Guelma, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Guelma $1,176

Cape Town costs about 203% more than Guelma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Guelma is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.15 DZD 421

285.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$16.77 DZD 2,245

170.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.86 DZD 517

52.33%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.69 DZD 91.7

262.32%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.59 DZD 79.1

115.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.24 DZD 31.92

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.57 DZD 210

90.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.18 DZD 292

70.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.87 DZD 117

49.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.15 DZD 19.62

733.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 DZD 154

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.19 DZD 159

161.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.00 DZD 1,071

13.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.01 DZD 536

72.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.59 DZD 1,953

-36.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.02 DZD 270

-8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.69 DZD 360

-27.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.07 DZD 143

56.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.96 DZD 129

126.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.63 DZD 84.0

149.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.45 DZD 60.4

228.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.77 DZD 103

68.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.25 DZD 33.57

352.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.59 DZD 347

39.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.52 DZD 873

-5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.08 DZD 145

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.85 DZD 248

15.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.24 DZD 32.10

525.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$5.76 DZD 771

954.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.57 DZD 75.9

3.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.45 DZD 60.1

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$5.31 DZD 711

-3.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.36 DZD 47.73

330.56%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$31.9K DZD 4.3M

13.48%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$34.3K DZD 4.6M

-8.79%

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

$114 R 1,883

$36.43 DZD 4,877

213.81%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.29 DZD 1,244

211.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$12.07 DZD 1,616

229.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$22.53 DZD 3,016

117.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.39 DZD 587

108.43%

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

$259 R 4,264

$337 DZD 45.2K

-23.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,258 DZD 570.0K

59.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$31.79 DZD 4,256

76.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$34.13 DZD 4,569

-5.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$69.6 DZD 9,315

73.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$80.8 DZD 10.8K

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$142 DZD 19.0K

619.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$92.4 DZD 12.4K

675.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$267 DZD 35.8K

582.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$197 DZD 26.3K

574.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$959 DZD 128.4K

149.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,053 DZD 140.9K

46.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$302 DZD 40.4K

442.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.3

106.98%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Guelma: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Guelma

$92 17.7% 87.1% $624

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Guelma

$174 33.3% 22.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Guelma

$58 11.1% 68.4% $125

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Guelma

$60 11.6% 65.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Guelma

$97 18.6% 31.8% $45

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Guelma

$9.5 1.8% 87.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Guelma

$31 6% 53.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $142 in Guelma. 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 442% 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 $17.00 in Guelma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $174 – making Guelma the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇿 Guelma

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

120,847

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Guelma 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Guelma

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 Guelma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 203% more than Guelma, 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 $784 in Guelma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guelma, 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 $523 in Guelma. That's a gap of about 203%.

Public transport costs about 955% less in Guelma. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guelma, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Guelma 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. Guelma costs $523 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 Guelma. 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.