Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and M'Sila

For one person, living is cheaper in M'Sila: $459 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in M'Sila
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M'Sila Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

M'Sila

🇩🇿 Algeria

$459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in M'Sila

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $459 in M'Sila, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
M'Sila $459

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $753 in M'Sila, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
M'Sila $753

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,046 in M'Sila, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
M'Sila $1,046

Cape Town costs about 249% more than M'Sila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while M'Sila is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$1.88 DZD 252

542.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$18.82 DZD 2,520

147.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$3.70 DZD 496

67.57%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$0.35 DZD 47.31

614.29%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.51 DZD 67.8

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.20 DZD 26.58

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.17 DZD 290

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.17 DZD 291

69.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.78 DZD 104

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.13 DZD 16.96

876.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.15 DZD 155

88.70%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.19 DZD 160

159.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$2.92 DZD 391

207.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$3.94 DZD 528

77.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$9.30 DZD 1,245

3.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.09 DZD 280

-10.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.68 DZD 359

-27.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.07 DZD 143

65.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$0.55 DZD 74.0

296.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.50 DZD 67.0

204.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.27 DZD 35.63

477.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.12 DZD 16.21

1000.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.25 DZD 33.34

360.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.71 DZD 363

37.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$6.75 DZD 904

-10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.27 DZD 171

5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.86 DZD 249

14.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.24 DZD 32.27

545.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$6.53 DZD 874

838.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.55 DZD 73.4

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.43 DZD 57.5

258.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$5.69 DZD 762

-11.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.33 DZD 44.76

384.85%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

1.42%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$34.6K DZD 4.6M

0.27%

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

$119 R 1,955

$23.25 DZD 3,112

410.24%

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

$29.42 R 485

$7.50 DZD 1,004

292.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$12.44 DZD 1,665

220.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$22.17 DZD 2,968

128.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$4.36 DZD 584

106.19%

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

$261 R 4,303

$115 DZD 15.4K

127.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$6,439 DZD 862.1K

8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$32.63 DZD 4,368

72.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$33.92 DZD 4,541

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$67.7 DZD 9,064

79.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$79.9 DZD 10.7K

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$144 DZD 19.2K

615.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$92.2 DZD 12.3K

680.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$270 DZD 36.1K

579.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$192 DZD 25.7K

607.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$961 DZD 128.7K

150.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$623 DZD 83.4K

141.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$243 DZD 32.5K

579.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.3

106.98%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for M'Sila: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

M'Sila

$92 20.1% 87.2% $627

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

M'Sila

$138 30% 39.2% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

M'Sila

$43 9.4% 77% $145

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

M'Sila

$48 10.6% 72.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

M'Sila

$96 21% 32.8% $47

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

M'Sila

$10 2.2% 86.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

M'Sila

$31 6.7% 55% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $144 in M'Sila. 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 580% 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 $19.00 in M'Sila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $138 – making M'Sila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇿 M'Sila

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

156,647

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town M'Sila 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
M'Sila

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 M'Sila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 249% more than M'Sila, 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $688 in M'Sila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in M'Sila, 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 $459 in M'Sila. That's a gap of about 249%.

Public transport costs about 839% less in M'Sila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in M'Sila, where all-in costs run around $459, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In M'Sila 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. M'Sila costs $459 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 M'Sila. 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.