Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carthage and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Carthage
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$693
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Carthage and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $693 per month in Carthage vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Carthage $693
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,100 per month in Carthage vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Carthage $1,100
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,508 per month in Carthage vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Carthage $1,508
  • Cape Town $3,263

Carthage is about 56% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carthage sits 49% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.09 TND 12.26
$12.14 R 200
-66.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.71 TND 68.0
$45.34 R 747
-49.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.89 TND 17.65
$5.88 R 96.9
0.17%
Cappuccino
$1.15 TND 3.44
$2.50 R 41.18
-54.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 TND 2.20
$1.27 R 20.94
-42.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 TND 0.88
$0.98 R 16.14
-70.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 TND 5.08
$2.99 R 49.33
-43.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 TND 6.14
$3.72 R 61.4
-44.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.49 TND 1.46
$1.30 R 21.40
-62.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.26 TND 0.78
$1.25 R 20.68
-79.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 TND 5.33
$2.23 R 36.76
-20.18%
Eggs
$1.84 TND 5.50
$3.11 R 51.2
-40.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.20 TND 30.56
$9.06 R 149
12.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.74 TND 17.21
$6.92 R 114
-17.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.42 TND 43.20
$9.30 R 153
55.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.31 TND 3.92
$1.84 R 30.25
-28.80%
Banana (1kg)
$3.65 TND 10.93
$1.96 R 32.29
86.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.17 TND 3.49
$1.67 R 27.45
-29.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.83 TND 2.48
$2.17 R 35.70
-61.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 TND 2.70
$1.57 R 25.81
-42.68%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 TND 2.07
$1.48 R 24.45
-53.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.53 TND 1.60
$1.30 R 21.41
-59.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.34 TND 1.03
$1.13 R 18.60
-69.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.59 TND 10.75
$3.60 R 59.3
-0.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.62 TND 19.82
$6.15 R 101
7.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 TND 3.68
$1.38 R 22.66
-10.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 TND 3.72
$2.14 R 35.20
-42.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 TND 1.30
$1.50 R 24.65
-71.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.96 TND 41.82
$60.8 R 1,001
-77.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 TND 0.92
$0.59 R 9.71
-47.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 TND 1.03
$1.50 R 24.65
-77.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.78 TND 5.34
$5.11 R 84.2
-65.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 TND 2.63
$1.55 R 25.50
-43.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.9K TND 119.4K
$36.2K R 596.5K
10.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K TND 106.1K
$31.2K R 514.8K
13.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.22 TND 135
$114 R 1,883
-60.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.23 TND 27.63
$28.91 R 476
-68.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.98 TND 62.9
$39.73 R 654
-47.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.18 TND 96.4
$49.01 R 808
-34.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.26 TND 39.70
$10.99 R 181
20.66%
Cinema Ticket
$5.17 TND 15.49
$9.15 R 151
-43.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$104 TND 311
$259 R 4,264
-59.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,218 TND 9,637
$6,794 R 111.9K
-52.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.72 TND 131
$56.2 R 926
-22.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 TND 178
$32.41 R 534
82.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 TND 340
$121 R 1,987
-5.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.7 TND 203
$108 R 1,781
-37.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$211 TND 633
$1,021 R 16.8K
-79.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 TND 463
$717 R 11.8K
-78.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 TND 625
$1,824 R 30.1K
-88.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$272 TND 815
$1,327 R 21.9K
-79.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$972 TND 2,911
$2,391 R 39.4K
-59.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$622 TND 1,862
$1,542 R 25.4K
-59.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Carthage
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$269 TND 807
$1,639 R 27.0K
-83.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.28
10.97
-6.29%

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

Last update for Carthage: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Carthage
$194
Cape Town
$225 16% $31
Accommodation & Living
Carthage
$154
Cape Town
$717 364% $562
Clothing & Footwear
Carthage
$128
Cape Town
$143 11.6% $15
Eating Out
Carthage
$81
Cape Town
$176 118% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Carthage
$75
Cape Town
$183 143% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Carthage
$43
Cape Town
$67 58.3% $25
Getting Around
Carthage
$18
Cape Town
$75 322% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Carthage versus $1,021 in Cape Town. 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 508% 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 $23.00 in Carthage versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $225 – making Carthage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Carthage
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
08:50 8:50 AM
09:50 9:50 AM
1 h ahead of Carthage
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,276
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Carthage Cape Town 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Carthage
  • Cape Town

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
Carthage vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Carthage or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 129% more than Carthage, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Carthage and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Carthage and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Carthage or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Carthage, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Carthage compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $693 in Carthage and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 129%.
How expensive is transport in Carthage compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 335% less in Carthage. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Carthage or in Cape Town?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Carthage, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Carthage it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Carthage or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Carthage costs $693 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Carthage or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Carthage. 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.

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