Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nasr City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nasr City: $595 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Nasr City
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Nasr City Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Nasr City

🇪🇬 Egypt

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Nasr City

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $595 in Nasr City, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Nasr City $595

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,013 in Nasr City, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Nasr City $1,013

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,430 in Nasr City, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Nasr City $1,430

Cape Town costs about 166% more than Nasr City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Nasr City is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 201

$4.19 E£224

189.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 751

$23.21 E£1,240

95.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 97.5

$5.61 E£300

4.81%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.40

$1.24 E£66.4

101.61%

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

$1.27 R 21.06

$0.32 E£17.36

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.23

$0.14 E£7.35

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.60

$1.29 E£69.0

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.7

$2.82 E£151

31.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.52

$0.89 E£47.61

46.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.79

$0.72 E£38.24

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.97

$0.76 E£40.61

193.42%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.5

$1.42 E£75.6

119.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 150

$3.92 E£209

131.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 115

$5.49 E£293

26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 154

$8.15 E£436

14.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.42

$1.58 E£84.2

16.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.47

$0.74 E£39.48

164.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.60

$0.55 E£29.51

203.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.90

$0.37 E£19.87

486.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.96

$0.35 E£18.77

348.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.59

$0.33 E£17.87

348.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.20 E£10.67

550.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.71

$0.23 E£12.25

391.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.7

$1.93 E£103

86.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 102

$5.55 E£297

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.78

$1.19 E£63.4

15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.39

$2.06 E£110

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.79

$0.29 E£15.61

417.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,006

$6.81 E£364

792.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.76

$0.58 E£31.20

1.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.78

$0.19 E£10.36

689.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.7

$3.83 E£205

33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.46 E£24.82

236.96%

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

$36.2K R 599.8K

$32.1K E£1.7M

12.79%

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

$31.2K R 517.7K

$26.6K E£1.4M

17.31%

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

$114 R 1,894

$40.02 E£2,139

185.66%

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

$28.91 R 479

$7.54 E£403

283.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 658

$14.09 E£753

181.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 812

$30.09 E£1,608

62.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

$1.89 E£101

481.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 152

$3.29 E£176

178.12%

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

$259 R 4,288

$87.3 E£4,667

196.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 112.5K

$2,093 E£111.8K

224.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 931

$35.71 E£1,908

57.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 537

$45.47 E£2,430

-28.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,998

$115 E£6,142

4.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,790

$57.5 E£3,073

87.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

$216 E£11.5K

373.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.9K

$163 E£8,708

339.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.2K

$489 E£26.1K

273.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 22.0K

$435 E£23.2K

205.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.6K

$775 E£41.4K

208.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.5K

$436 E£23.3K

253.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

$236 E£12.6K

594.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-26.87%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nasr City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Nasr City

$163 27.4% 77.3% $554

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Nasr City

$131 22% 41.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Nasr City

$62 10.4% 66.3% $121

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Nasr City

$79 13.3% 55% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Nasr City

$114 19.2% 20.1% $29

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Nasr City

$9.5 1.6% 87.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Nasr City

$37 6.2% 45.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $216 in Nasr City. 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 594% 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 $23.00 in Nasr City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $131 – making Nasr City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Nasr City

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

668,413

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 16.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Nasr City 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Nasr City

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 Nasr City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 166% more than Nasr City, 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 $893 in Nasr City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nasr City, 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 $595 in Nasr City. That's a gap of about 166%.

Public transport costs about 792% less in Nasr City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nasr City, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Nasr City 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. Nasr City costs $595 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 Nasr City. 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.