Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Suez

For one person, living is cheaper in Suez: $361 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Suez
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Suez Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Suez

🇪🇬 Egypt

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $361 in Suez, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Suez $361

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $591 in Suez, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Suez $591

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $821 in Suez, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Suez $821

Cape Town costs about 342% more than Suez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Suez is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$2.61 E£140

362.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$13.93 E£744

234.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$3.00 E£160

106.67%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$1.29 E£68.9

93.80%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.29 E£15.55

365.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.12 E£6.22

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.35 E£72.1

126.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$1.47 E£78.4

149.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.90 E£48.03

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.98 E£52.4

29.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$0.51 E£27.49

325.49%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.37 E£72.9

125.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$2.72 E£145

230.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$3.93 E£210

77.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$7.40 E£395

30.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.31 E£69.8

42.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$0.54 E£28.64

257.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$0.44 E£23.61

302.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$0.33 E£17.42

560.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.33 E£17.37

360.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.35 E£18.79

345.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.15 E£7.95

780.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.16 E£8.73

618.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.69 E£90.1

120.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$6.59 E£352

-8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.40 E£74.8

-4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.56 E£83.2

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.09 E£4.62

1622.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$6.62 E£354

825.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.20 E£10.67

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.18 E£9.78

755.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$1.18 E£62.9

324.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$0.40 E£21.15

300.00%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$31.6K E£1.7M

12.24%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$22.8K E£1.2M

51.88%

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

$119 R 1,955

$20.56 E£1,098

476.99%

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

$29.42 R 485

$4.01 E£214

633.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$8.35 E£446

376.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$14.49 E£774

250.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$6.28 E£335

74.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$2.29 E£122

292.58%

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

$261 R 4,303

$85.2 E£4,549

206.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$1,585 E£84.7K

339.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$16.65 E£889

237.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$43.46 E£2,321

-23.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$98.6 E£5,263

23.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$32.56 E£1,739

231.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$77.9 E£4,160

1219.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$41.57 E£2,220

1631.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$128 E£6,843

1331.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$82.7 E£4,418

1544.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$511 E£27.3K

370.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$257 E£13.7K

485.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$123 E£6,548

1244.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

17.03

-35.58%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Suez: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Suez

$42 11.5% 94.2% $678

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Suez

$117 32.4% 48.3% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Suez

$33 9.1% 82.5% $155

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Suez

$57 15.7% 68% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Suez

$86 23.8% 40% $57

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Suez

$8.1 2.2% 89.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Suez

$19 5.3% 72.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $77.9 in Suez. 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 1245% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $14.00 in Suez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $117 – making Suez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Suez

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

488,125

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Suez 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Suez

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 Suez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 342% more than Suez, 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $542 in Suez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suez, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $361 in Suez. That's a gap of about 342%.

Public transport costs about 826% less in Suez. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suez, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Suez 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. Suez costs $361 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Suez. 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.