Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Sharm El Sheikh
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Sharm El Sheikh Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $455 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sharm El Sheikh $455

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $706 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sharm El Sheikh $706

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $956 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sharm El Sheikh $956

Cape Town costs about 249% more than Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sharm El Sheikh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$23.17 E£1,237

95.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.87 E£260

20.74%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.23 E£119

12.11%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.33 E£17.57

284.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.59 E£31.40

66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.79 E£202

-21.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.66 E£249

-20.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.82 E£43.80

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.45 E£24.03

395.56%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.21 E£64.5

157.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.75 E£200

84.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.55 E£82.9

18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.45 E£24.00

335.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.45 E£24.12

271.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.27 E£14.28

703.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.17 E£116

65.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.48 E£78.8

-6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.10 E£5.23

1400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.46 E£24.81

236.96%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$32.7K E£1.7M

10.82%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$21.8K E£1.2M

43.38%

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

$114 R 1,883

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

$28.91 R 476

$11.34 E£605

154.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$27.77 E£1,483

43.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$359 E£19.2K

184.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$287 E£15.3K

149.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$622 E£33.2K

193.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$530 E£28.3K

150.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$948 E£50.6K

152.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$665 E£35.5K

131.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$151 E£8,062

985.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

26.5

-58.60%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2% 59.9% $430

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12% 75.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6% 78.6% $144

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1% 58.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1% 99.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. 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 985% 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 Sharm El Sheikh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $55.0 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

38,478

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sharm El Sheikh 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 249% more than Sharm El Sheikh, 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 $682 in Sharm El Sheikh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh, 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 $455 in Sharm El Sheikh. That's a gap of about 249%.

Groceries cost about 312% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $455, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sharm El Sheikh 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. Sharm El Sheikh costs $455 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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.