Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Guelmim

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelmim: $568 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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 Guelmim
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Guelmim Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Guelmim

🇲🇦 Morocco

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $568 in Guelmim, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Guelmim $568

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $924 in Guelmim, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Guelmim $924

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,281 in Guelmim, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Guelmim $1,281

Cape Town costs about 179% more than Guelmim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Guelmim is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.05 MAD 49.22

140.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$25.16 MAD 245

80.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.17 MAD 69.9

-17.99%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.02 MAD 19.69

23.76%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.84 MAD 8.17

51.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.50 MAD 4.84

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.27 MAD 51.4

-43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.51 MAD 43.93

-17.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.86 MAD 8.43

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.41 MAD 4.03

204.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.02 MAD 9.90

118.63%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.68 MAD 16.36

85.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.18 MAD 79.8

10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.41 MAD 33.23

102.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.58 MAD 83.6

8.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.26 MAD 12.26

46.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.19 MAD 11.63

64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.90 MAD 8.81

85.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.65 MAD 6.34

233.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.64 MAD 6.20

145.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.60 MAD 5.88

146.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.59 MAD 5.72

120.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.55 MAD 5.34

105.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.02 MAD 39.22

-10.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.32 MAD 110

-45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.22 MAD 11.90

13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.35 MAD 13.17

58.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.69 MAD 6.68

117.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$20.80 MAD 203

192.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.59 MAD 5.76

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.60 MAD 5.83

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.18 MAD 60.3

-17.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.33 MAD 12.94

16.54%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$33.8K MAD 330.0K

6.98%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$29.2K MAD 285.1K

6.85%

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

$114 R 1,883

$24.40 MAD 238

368.52%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.28 MAD 100

181.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$21.03 MAD 205

88.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$25.68 MAD 250

90.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.83 MAD 203

-47.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.03 MAD 49.08

81.91%

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

$259 R 4,264

$70.2 MAD 684

268.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$1,880 MAD 18.3K

261.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$18.36 MAD 179

205.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$15.47 MAD 151

109.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$59.4 MAD 579

103.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$31.08 MAD 303

247.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$193 MAD 1,879

429.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$112 MAD 1,090

541.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$319 MAD 3,112

471.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$225 MAD 2,192

490.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,225 MAD 11.9K

95.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$829 MAD 8,080

86.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$312 MAD 3,047

424.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.5

68.77%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Guelmim: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Guelmim

$112 19.7% 84.4% $605

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Guelmim

$155 27.2% 31.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Guelmim

$56 9.8% 69.6% $127

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Guelmim

$127 22.3% 28% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Guelmim

$56 9.9% 60.8% $87

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Guelmim

$27 4.8% 63.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Guelmim

$36 6.3% 46.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $193 in Guelmim. 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 424% 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 $25.00 in Guelmim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $155 – making Guelmim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Guelmim

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

118,318

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Guelmim 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Guelmim

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 Guelmim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 179% more than Guelmim, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $852 in Guelmim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guelmim, 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 $568 in Guelmim. That's a gap of about 179%.

Public transport costs about 192% less in Guelmim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guelmim, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Guelmim 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. Guelmim costs $568 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 Guelmim. 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.