Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ifrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Ifrane: $746 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Ifrane
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Ifrane Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ifrane

🇲🇦 Morocco

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $746 in Ifrane, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ifrane $746

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,118 in Ifrane, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ifrane $1,118

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,490 in Ifrane, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ifrane $1,490

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Ifrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ifrane is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.32 MAD 32.32

265.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$10.93 MAD 107

314.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.50 MAD 73.1

-21.60%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.21 MAD 11.78

106.61%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.74 MAD 7.21

71.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.34 MAD 3.33

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.60 MAD 25.33

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.21 MAD 41.06

-11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.80 MAD 7.80

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.86 MAD 8.43

45.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.49 MAD 14.49

49.66%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.84 MAD 17.90

69.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.64 MAD 104

-14.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.48 MAD 72.9

-7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.11 MAD 118

-23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$0.90 MAD 8.75

104.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.12 MAD 10.96

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.85 MAD 8.32

96.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.50 MAD 4.86

334.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.64 MAD 6.23

145.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.40 MAD 3.88

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.45 MAD 4.37

188.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.54 MAD 5.28

109.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.11 MAD 40.10

-12.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.16 MAD 79.6

-24.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.28 MAD 22.24

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.09 MAD 30.16

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.48 MAD 4.68

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$18.40 MAD 179

230.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.84 MAD 8.21

-29.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.30 MAD 2.91

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.54 MAD 44.28

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.57 MAD 15.32

-1.27%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$31.2K MAD 304.1K

16.08%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.6K MAD 298.5K

2.06%

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

$114 R 1,883

$51.0 MAD 497

124.11%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.05 MAD 98.0

187.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$41.83 MAD 408

-5.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$28.40 MAD 277

72.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$19.46 MAD 190

-43.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.64 MAD 74.5

19.76%

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

$259 R 4,264

$99.3 MAD 969

160.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,778 MAD 56.3K

17.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$59.6 MAD 581

-5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$45.11 MAD 440

-28.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$93.1 MAD 907

29.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$59.8 MAD 583

80.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$292 MAD 2,842

250.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$174 MAD 1,695

312.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$477 MAD 4,646

282.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$292 MAD 2,846

354.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,374 MAD 13.4K

74.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$878 MAD 8,563

75.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$285 MAD 2,778

475.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.83

127.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ifrane: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ifrane

$174 23.3% 75.8% $543

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ifrane

$198 26.5% 12.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ifrane

$103 13.8% 43.8% $80

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ifrane

$89 12% 49.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ifrane

$116 15.5% 18.8% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ifrane

$23 3% 69.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ifrane

$44 5.9% 35.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $292 in Ifrane. 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 475% 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 $11.00 in Ifrane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $198 – making Ifrane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Ifrane

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

14,659

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ifrane 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ifrane

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 Ifrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Ifrane, 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 $1,119 in Ifrane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ifrane, 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 $746 in Ifrane. That's a gap of about 113%.

Public transport costs about 230% less in Ifrane. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ifrane, where all-in costs run around $746, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ifrane 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. Ifrane costs $746 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 Ifrane. 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.