Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
Learn more

Kairouan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $634 in Kairouan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Kairouan $634

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $975 in Kairouan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Kairouan $975

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,316 in Kairouan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Kairouan $1,316

Cape Town costs about 150% more than Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Kairouan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.66 TND 7.96

356.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$15.64 TND 46.83

189.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.17 TND 18.49

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.96 TND 2.87

160.42%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.80 TND 2.39

58.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.40 TND 1.20

145.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.71 TND 5.11

74.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.64 TND 7.92

40.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.45 TND 1.36

188.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.07 TND 0.22

1685.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.75 TND 5.25

27.43%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.49 TND 4.45

108.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.01 TND 29.97

-9.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.42 TND 16.22

27.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.92 TND 35.70

-21.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.19 TND 6.57

-15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.28 TND 6.82

-14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.13 TND 3.38

47.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.77 TND 2.30

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.65 TND 1.94

141.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.62 TND 1.86

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.53 TND 1.57

145.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.26 TND 0.78

334.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.34 TND 10.00

7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.85 TND 20.52

-10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.28 TND 3.84

7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.55 TND 4.63

38.06%

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

$9.94 TND 29.77

511.17%

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

$0.34 TND 1.00

341.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.76 TND 5.27

190.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.80 TND 2.39

93.75%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$39.1K TND 117.1K

-7.39%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$36.1K TND 108.3K

-13.56%

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

$114 R 1,883

$60.0 TND 180

90.63%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.27 TND 27.77

211.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$20.01 TND 59.9

98.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$23.03 TND 69.0

112.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$12.53 TND 37.53

-12.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.59 TND 13.75

99.35%

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

$259 R 4,264

$106 TND 317

144.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,221 TND 9,647

110.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$23.58 TND 70.6

138.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$61.1 TND 183

-46.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$46.83 TND 140

157.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.5 TND 262

23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$116 TND 347

782.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$155 TND 463

363.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$372 TND 1,115

389.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$271 TND 812

389.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$953 TND 2,855

150.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$609 TND 1,825

153.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$320 TND 959

411.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Kairouan

$155 24.4% 78.4% $562

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Kairouan

$176 27.7% 21.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Kairouan

$89 14.1% 51.2% $94

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Kairouan

$70 11% 60.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Kairouan

$99 15.6% 31% $44

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Kairouan

$13 2.1% 82.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kairouan

$32 5.1% 52.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $116 in Kairouan. 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 412% 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 $16.00 in Kairouan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $176 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

139,070

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Cape Town Kairouan 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kairouan

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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 150% more than Kairouan, 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 $950 in Kairouan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kairouan, 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 $634 in Kairouan. That's a gap of about 150%.

Public transport costs about 511% less in Kairouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kairouan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Kairouan 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. Kairouan costs $634 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 Kairouan. 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.