Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
Learn more

Ismailia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $330 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Ismailia $330

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $561 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Ismailia $561

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $792 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Ismailia $792

Cape Town costs about 385% more than Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Ismailia is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$3.30 E£176

265.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$14.58 E£778

219.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$3.76 E£201

64.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.04 E£55.5

140.38%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.30 E£15.91

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.13 E£6.85

669.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.32 E£70.6

131.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$1.80 E£96.0

103.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.79 E£42.30

64.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.36 E£19.07

252.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$0.60 E£32.12

261.67%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.15 E£61.5

168.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$3.49 E£186

157.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$3.98 E£213

75.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$6.95 E£371

39.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.45 E£77.3

28.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$0.54 E£29.05

257.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$0.41 E£22.01

331.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$0.31 E£16.79

603.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.26 E£13.89

484.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.32 E£17.12

387.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.23 E£12.31

473.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.20 E£10.67

475.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.86 E£99.5

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$5.48 E£293

9.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.04 E£55.4

28.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.89 E£101

12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.23 E£12.26

573.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$3.77 E£201

1525.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.39 E£20.60

53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.48 E£25.72

220.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$1.13 E£60.2

343.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.42 E£22.18

280.95%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$27.6K E£1.5M

28.12%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$14.6K E£780.2K

137.17%

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

$119 R 1,955

$13.94 E£744

751.00%

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

$29.42 R 485

$6.66 E£355

341.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$7.33 E£391

443.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$9.65 E£515

426.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$18.42 E£984

-40.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$1.82 E£97.4

393.96%

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

$261 R 4,303

$65.6 E£3,502

298.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$1,171 E£62.5K

494.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$12.92 E£690

334.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$9.19 E£491

261.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$127 E£6,764

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$27.53 E£1,470

292.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$78.3 E£4,181

1212.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$31.44 E£1,679

2188.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$120 E£6,414

1427.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$75.2 E£4,017

1707.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$458 E£24.5K

424.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$131 E£6,984

1050.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$101 E£5,387

1534.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

21.33

-48.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 95.6% $688

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 52.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 85.1% $160

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 65% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 44.7% $64

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 90.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Ismailia

$13 4% 80.7% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $78.3 in Ismailia. 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 1535% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $15.00 in Ismailia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $108 – making Ismailia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

352,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ismailia 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 385% more than Ismailia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $494 in Ismailia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ismailia, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $330 in Ismailia. That's a gap of about 385%.

Public transport costs about 1526% less in Ismailia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ismailia, where all-in costs run around $330, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Ismailia 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. Ismailia costs $330 versus $1,599 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 Ismailia. 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.