Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and New Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in New Cairo: $728 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in New Cairo
Learn more

New Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

New Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in New Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $728 in New Cairo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
New Cairo $728

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,097 in New Cairo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
New Cairo $1,097

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,467 in New Cairo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
New Cairo $1,467

Cape Town costs about 118% more than New Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while New Cairo is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.74 E£307

111.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$25.75 E£1,375

76.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.60 E£299

5.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.00 E£107

25.00%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.38 E£20.30

234.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.15 E£7.89

553.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.93 E£156

2.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.37 E£180

10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.96 E£51.4

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.01 E£54.1

23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.77 E£41.36

189.61%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.51 E£80.5

105.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.25 E£227

113.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.53 E£295

25.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.34 E£445

11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.71 E£91.6

7.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.74 E£39.29

164.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.49 E£25.94

240.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.40 E£21.56

442.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.32 E£17.29

390.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.47 E£24.94

214.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.20 E£10.67

550.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.24 E£12.82

370.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.90 E£101

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.75 E£521

-36.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.40 E£75.0

-1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.00 E£107

7.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.17 E£8.91

782.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.55 E£29.35

7.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.16 E£8.60

837.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.83 E£205

33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.42 E£22.42

269.05%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$32.4K E£1.7M

11.69%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$26.7K E£1.4M

16.87%

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

$114 R 1,883

$40.44 E£2,159

182.69%

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

$28.91 R 476

$9.41 E£503

207.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$14.06 E£751

182.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$29.14 E£1,556

68.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$6.16 E£329

78.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.24 E£173

182.41%

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

$259 R 4,264

$180 E£9,611

43.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,744 E£253.3K

43.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$46.25 E£2,470

21.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$54.5 E£2,908

-40.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$115 E£6,151

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$56.5 E£3,016

91.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$300 E£16.0K

240.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$246 E£13.1K

191.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$548 E£29.3K

232.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$357 E£19.1K

271.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,204 E£64.3K

98.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$647 E£34.5K

138.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$187 E£10.0K

774.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.4

-3.77%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for New Cairo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

New Cairo

$246 33.8% 65.7% $471

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

New Cairo

$147 20.2% 34.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

New Cairo

$64 8.8% 65.1% $119

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

New Cairo

$110 15.1% 37.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

New Cairo

$123 16.8% 14.1% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

New Cairo

$2 * 0.3% 97.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

New Cairo

$36 4.9% 47.1% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $300 in New Cairo. 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 775% 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 $26.00 in New Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $147 – making New Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 New Cairo

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

298,343

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town New Cairo 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
New Cairo

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 New Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 118% more than New Cairo, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,092 in New Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in New Cairo, 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 $728 in New Cairo. That's a gap of about 118%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $180 in New Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in New Cairo, where all-in costs run around $728, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In New Cairo 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. New Cairo costs $728 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 New Cairo. 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.