Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sidi Bel Abbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes: $524 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sidi Bel Abbes
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Sidi Bel Abbes Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sidi Bel Abbes

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $524 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sidi Bel Abbes $524

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $858 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sidi Bel Abbes $858

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,191 in Sidi Bel Abbes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sidi Bel Abbes $1,191

Cape Town costs about 202% more than Sidi Bel Abbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sidi Bel Abbes is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.31 DZD 309

425.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$20.73 DZD 2,776

118.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.70 DZD 496

58.92%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.36 DZD 48.75

594.44%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.59 DZD 79.0

115.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.26 DZD 34.38

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.65 DZD 221

81.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.82 DZD 377

31.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.94 DZD 126

38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.08 DZD 11.11

1462.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.01 DZD 135

120.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.54 DZD 206

101.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.79 DZD 1,311

-7.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.28 DZD 707

31.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.51 DZD 1,943

-35.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.64 DZD 353

-30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.33 DZD 312

-15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.39 DZD 187

20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.44 DZD 59.4

393.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.33 DZD 43.60

375.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.63 DZD 84.9

134.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.65 DZD 87.4

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.36 DZD 47.74

213.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.95 DZD 260

84.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.98 DZD 1,336

-38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.12 DZD 284

-34.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$0.89 DZD 119

140.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.20 DZD 26.81

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$6.21 DZD 831

878.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.70 DZD 94.0

-15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.31 DZD 41.36

383.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.33 DZD 312

119.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.30 DZD 40.13

416.67%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$15.9K DZD 2.1M

127.68%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$29.4K DZD 3.9M

6.22%

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

$114 R 1,883

$18.93 DZD 2,534

503.91%

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

$28.91 R 476

$8.56 DZD 1,147

237.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$15.66 DZD 2,097

153.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$17.27 DZD 2,313

183.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$1.52 DZD 203

501.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

$55.9 DZD 7,489

362.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$3,201 DZD 428.6K

112.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$33.36 DZD 4,466

68.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$53.9 DZD 7,213

-39.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$79.3 DZD 10.6K

52.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$80.7 DZD 10.8K

33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$144 DZD 19.3K

607.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$93.0 DZD 12.5K

670.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$299 DZD 40.0K

510.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$175 DZD 23.4K

657.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$958 DZD 128.2K

149.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,171 DZD 156.8K

31.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$336 DZD 45.0K

387.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.5

68.77%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sidi Bel Abbes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$93 17.7% 87% $624

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$196 37.4% 12.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$43 8.2% 76.4% $140

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$51 9.8% 70.9% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$111 21.2% 22.1% $32

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$9.3 1.8% 87.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sidi Bel Abbes

$20 3.9% 69.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $144 in Sidi Bel Abbes. 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 388% 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 Sidi Bel Abbes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $196 – making Sidi Bel Abbes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇿 Sidi Bel Abbes

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

212,935

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sidi Bel Abbes 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sidi Bel Abbes

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 Sidi Bel Abbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 202% more than Sidi Bel Abbes, 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 $787 in Sidi Bel Abbes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes, 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 $524 in Sidi Bel Abbes. That's a gap of about 202%.

Public transport costs about 878% less in Sidi Bel Abbes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sidi Bel Abbes, where all-in costs run around $524, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sidi Bel Abbes 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. Sidi Bel Abbes costs $524 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 Sidi Bel Abbes. 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.