Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Oued Zem

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $744 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
Learn more

Oued Zem Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Oued Zem

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $744 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Oued Zem $744

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,188 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Oued Zem $1,188

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,633 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Oued Zem $1,633

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Oued Zem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Oued Zem is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.23 MAD 41.20

187.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$41.45 MAD 404

9.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.16 MAD 69.8

-17.88%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.97 MAD 19.23

26.90%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.54 MAD 5.25

135.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.37 MAD 3.56

164.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.08 MAD 49.57

-41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.28 MAD 31.95

13.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.84 MAD 8.16

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.63 MAD 6.09

98.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.89 MAD 18.40

17.99%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.89 MAD 18.42

64.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.57 MAD 113

-21.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.72 MAD 65.6

2.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.01 MAD 117

-22.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.62 MAD 15.82

13.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.38 MAD 13.50

42.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.82 MAD 8.00

103.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.83 MAD 8.13

161.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.69 MAD 6.71

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.76 MAD 7.36

94.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.40 MAD 3.93

225.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.65 MAD 6.34

73.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.15 MAD 40.43

-13.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.61 MAD 74.2

-19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.62 MAD 25.51

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.73 MAD 26.60

-21.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.52 MAD 5.10

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$18.72 MAD 183

224.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.70 MAD 6.86

-15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.75 MAD 7.30

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.02 MAD 39.19

27.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.51 MAD 14.72

2.65%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

16.99%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

0.98%

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

$114 R 1,883

$36.62 MAD 357

212.18%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.06 MAD 98.0

187.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.17 MAD 333

16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$29.12 MAD 284

68.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.76 MAD 202

-47.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.16 MAD 60.0

48.54%

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

$259 R 4,264

$185 MAD 1,807

39.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,495 MAD 92.6K

-28.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$49.33 MAD 481

13.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$40.51 MAD 395

-20.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$93.8 MAD 915

28.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$65.2 MAD 636

65.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$278 MAD 2,712

267.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$165 MAD 1,607

334.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$478 MAD 4,664

281.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$246 MAD 2,398

439.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,115 MAD 10.9K

114.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$767 MAD 7,480

100.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$239 MAD 2,333

584.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.55

141.10%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Oued Zem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Oued Zem

$165 22.2% 77% $552

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Oued Zem

$205 27.5% 9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Oued Zem

$81 10.9% 55.8% $102

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Oued Zem

$115 15.4% 35% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Oued Zem

$112 15.1% 21.5% $31

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Oued Zem

$25 3.4% 66.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Oued Zem

$41 5.6% 38.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $278 in Oued Zem. 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 585% 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 $41.00 in Oued Zem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $205 – making Oued Zem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

95,267

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Oued Zem 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Oued Zem

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 Oued Zem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Oued Zem, 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 $1,116 in Oued Zem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oued Zem, 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 $744 in Oued Zem. That's a gap of about 113%.

Public transport costs about 225% less in Oued Zem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oued Zem, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Oued Zem 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. Oued Zem costs $744 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 Oued Zem. 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.