Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Safi

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $585 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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 Safi
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Safi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Safi

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $585 in Safi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Safi $585

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $917 in Safi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Safi $917

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,250 in Safi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Safi $1,250

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Safi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Safi is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.04 MAD 29.65

299.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$20.72 MAD 202

118.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.55 MAD 44.41

29.23%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.54 MAD 15.00

62.34%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.54 MAD 5.23

135.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.34 MAD 3.28

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.52 MAD 14.82

96.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.52 MAD 14.80

144.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.82 MAD 7.95

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.47 MAD 4.55

165.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.53 MAD 14.96

45.75%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.73 MAD 16.84

79.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$6.87 MAD 67.0

31.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.85 MAD 66.8

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.98 MAD 87.6

3.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.15 MAD 11.20

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.16 MAD 11.34

68.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.82 MAD 7.96

103.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.67 MAD 6.52

223.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.61 MAD 5.91

157.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.80 MAD 7.84

85.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.40 MAD 3.92

225.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.57 MAD 5.51

98.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.72 MAD 36.26

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.35 MAD 71.6

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.86 MAD 18.09

-25.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.78 MAD 17.33

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.44 MAD 4.30

240.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.48 MAD 102

479.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.71 MAD 6.93

-16.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.55 MAD 5.32

172.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.02 MAD 58.7

-15.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.45 MAD 14.17

6.90%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$31.4K MAD 305.7K

15.48%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.6K MAD 298.3K

2.14%

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

$114 R 1,883

$35.89 MAD 350

218.53%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.31 MAD 100

180.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$33.94 MAD 331

17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$18.83 MAD 184

160.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$5.27 MAD 51.3

108.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.54 MAD 34.55

158.47%

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

$259 R 4,264

$97.5 MAD 950

165.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,667 MAD 35.8K

85.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$39.69 MAD 387

41.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$33.43 MAD 326

-3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$93.5 MAD 911

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$36.63 MAD 357

195.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$279 MAD 2,718

266.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$135 MAD 1,319

430.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$466 MAD 4,548

291.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$246 MAD 2,395

439.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$892 MAD 8,693

168.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$560 MAD 5,458

175.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$443 MAD 4,318

270.01%

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 Safi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Safi

$135 23.1% 81.1% $582

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Safi

$166 28.4% 26% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Safi

$80 13.7% 56.2% $103

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Safi

$71 12.1% 59.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Safi

$91 15.6% 36% $51

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Safi

$16 2.7% 79% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Safi

$26 4.4% 61.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $279 in Safi. 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 270% 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 $21.00 in Safi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $166 – making Safi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Safi

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

323,888

💱 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 Safi 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Safi

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 Safi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Safi, 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 $878 in Safi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Safi, 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 $585 in Safi. That's a gap of about 171%.

Public transport costs about 480% less in Safi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Safi, where all-in costs run around $585, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Safi 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. Safi costs $585 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 Safi. 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.