Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Tunis

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $859 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Tunis
Learn more

Tunis Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Tunis

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $859 in Tunis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Tunis $859

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,293 in Tunis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Tunis $1,293

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,728 in Tunis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Tunis $1,728

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Tunis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Tunis is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$3.95 TND 11.77

198.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$22.82 TND 68.1

103.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$5.86 TND 17.49

1.71%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$1.17 TND 3.49

111.11%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$0.79 TND 2.36

68.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.38 TND 1.13

171.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$1.72 TND 5.13

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$2.73 TND 8.15

34.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$0.49 TND 1.46

183.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$0.39 TND 1.18

205.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.70 TND 5.06

24.12%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$1.84 TND 5.49

63.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$10.04 TND 29.97

-10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.98 TND 17.85

11.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$17.51 TND 52.3

-46.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$2.14 TND 6.38

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$5.88 TND 17.56

-67.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$1.11 TND 3.32

57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$0.80 TND 2.40

161.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$0.82 TND 2.44

89.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$0.65 TND 1.95

129.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.50 TND 1.49

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.34 TND 1.02

241.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$3.79 TND 11.30

-2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$6.52 TND 19.46

-7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$1.28 TND 3.83

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$1.58 TND 4.70

39.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$0.34 TND 1.02

344.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$16.93 TND 50.5

260.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$0.32 TND 0.97

96.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$0.31 TND 0.91

393.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$1.85 TND 5.52

160.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$0.88 TND 2.62

79.55%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$39.6K TND 118.0K

-10.26%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$36.0K TND 107.5K

-11.84%

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

$116 R 1,930

$61.2 TND 183

90.07%

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

$28.37 R 471

$8.82 TND 26.31

221.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$20.50 TND 61.2

98.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$34.96 TND 104

39.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$12.54 TND 37.42

-11.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.99 TND 17.88

47.41%

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

$261 R 4,336

$102 TND 305

156.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$3,211 TND 9,582

108.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$43.37 TND 129

27.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$59.8 TND 178

-46.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$102 TND 304

15.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$86.6 TND 258

23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$388 TND 1,158

161.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$253 TND 756

182.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$645 TND 1,925

179.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$391 TND 1,166

240.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$1,467 TND 4,377

58.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$776 TND 2,317

94.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$349 TND 1,040

369.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.28

6.71%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tunis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Tunis

$253 29.9% 64.6% $462

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Tunis

$222 26.3% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Tunis

$91 10.7% 51.2% $95

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Tunis

$82 9.7% 52.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Tunis

$131 15.5% 6.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Tunis

$20 2.4% 73.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Tunis

$47 5.6% 29.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $388 in Tunis. 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 369% 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 $23.00 in Tunis. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $222 in Tunis – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇳 Tunis

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

728,453 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.98 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Tunis 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Tunis

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 Tunis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Tunis, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,288 in Tunis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunis, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $859 in Tunis. That's a gap of about 83%.

Public transport costs about 260% less in Tunis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tunis, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Tunis 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. Tunis costs $859 versus $1,568 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 Tunis. 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.