Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 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 Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Cape Town costs about 250% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 201

$4.20 E£234

187.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 776

$19.05 E£1,062

144.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 103

$4.72 E£264

31.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.50

$1.27 E£70.6

96.85%

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

$1.35 R 22.48

$0.33 E£18.14

309.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.62

$0.11 E£6.01

809.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.8

$1.36 E£75.8

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.1

$2.79 E£156

31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.65

$0.87 E£48.65

49.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 21.08

$0.66 E£37.07

92.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 36.00

$0.65 E£36.07

233.85%

Eggs

$3.09 R 51.4

$1.19 E£66.1

159.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 149

$3.80 E£212

136.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 116

$4.24 E£237

64.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 161

$9.23 E£515

4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.06

$1.54 E£86.1

21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.00

$0.75 E£41.82

157.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.40

$0.55 E£30.85

221.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 36.18

$0.35 E£19.76

522.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.30

$0.26 E£14.59

484.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.86

$0.30 E£16.70

420.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.93

$0.27 E£15.19

388.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.15

$0.22 E£11.99

422.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.9

$1.85 E£103

101.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.9

$5.67 E£316

6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.33

$1.25 E£69.6

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.43

$2.28 E£127

-6.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.76

$0.21 E£11.72

638.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.94

$0.56 E£31.13

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.59

$0.17 E£9.23

805.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 83.3

$1.20 E£67.1

317.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.57

$0.43 E£24.06

272.09%

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

$35.4K R 588.7K

$32.5K E£1.8M

9.03%

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

$34.7K R 576.1K

$27.1K E£1.5M

27.99%

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

$119 R 1,972

$14.05 E£784

744.34%

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

$29.42 R 489

$6.68 E£373

340.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 662

$13.50 E£753

194.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 844

$15.88 E£885

219.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 182

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 149

$2.91 E£162

208.93%

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

$261 R 4,342

$85.0 E£4,740

207.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 115.8K

$2,090 E£116.6K

233.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 933

$33.72 E£1,881

66.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 553

$45.91 E£2,560

-27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 2,017

$128 E£7,112

-4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,796

$57.4 E£3,202

88.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 17.1K

$128 E£7,152

701.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 12.0K

$76.7 E£4,278

838.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.5K

$256 E£14.3K

617.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.6K

$144 E£8,048

842.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 40.0K

$772 E£43.0K

211.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 25.0K

$354 E£19.7K

325.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.4K

$94.2 E£5,253

1650.60%

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 Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 89.3% $643

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 44.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 81.8% $154

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 56.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 17% $24

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 97.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 68.4% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Cape Town versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.49 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Mersa Matruh 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mersa Matruh

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 250% more than Mersa Matruh, 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 $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $1,028 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $457 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a gap of about 250%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $85 in Mersa Matruh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.