Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Laayoune

For one person, living is cheaper in Laayoune: $118 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Laayoune
Learn more

Laayoune Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Laayoune

🇪🇭 Western Sahara

$118

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $118 in Laayoune, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Laayoune $118

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $168 in Laayoune, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Laayoune $168

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $218 in Laayoune, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Laayoune $218

Cape Town costs about 1233% more than Laayoune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Laayoune is 91% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$4.07 MAD 39.58

189.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$3.35 MAD 32.60

77.91%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.97 MAD 19.20

25.38%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.41 MAD 4.02

224.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.31 MAD 3.04

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.68 MAD 6.58

122.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.68 MAD 6.60

-7.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.68 MAD 6.66

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.33 MAD 12.94

18.80%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$19.80 MAD 193

105.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$44.51 MAD 433

24.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Laayoune: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Laayoune

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Laayoune

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Laayoune

$20 * 17.1% 89.3% $166

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Laayoune

$69 * 59.7% 60.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Laayoune

$20 * 17.3% 85.7% $120

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Laayoune

$6.8 * 5.9% 91% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Laayoune

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇭 Laayoune

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

196,331 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Laayoune 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Laayoune

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 Laayoune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 1233% more than Laayoune, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $176 in Laayoune. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Laayoune, where all-in costs run around $118, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Laayoune 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. Laayoune costs $118 versus $1,568 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 Laayoune. 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.