Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dahab and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dahab 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 Dahab and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $453 per month in Dahab vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dahab $453
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $755 per month in Dahab vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dahab $755
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,057 per month in Dahab vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dahab $1,057
Cape Town $3,263

Dahab is about 71% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 E£198

$12.14 R 200

-69.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 E£702

$45.34 R 747

-71.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£248

$5.88 R 96.9

-21.09%

Cappuccino

$1.58 E£84.3

$2.50 R 41.18

-36.80%

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

$0.46 E£24.50

$1.27 R 20.94

-63.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 E£14.50

$0.98 R 16.14

-72.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 E£104

$2.99 R 49.33

-34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 E£125

$3.72 R 61.4

-37.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£52.0

$1.30 R 21.40

-25.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 E£60.0

$1.25 R 20.68

-10.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.75

$2.23 R 36.76

-67.26%

Eggs

$1.35 E£72.0

$3.11 R 51.2

-56.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 E£568

$9.06 R 149

17.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 E£207

$6.92 R 114

-43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 E£569

$9.30 R 153

14.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 E£124

$1.84 R 30.25

26.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.4

$1.96 R 32.29

-26.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.55

$1.67 R 27.45

-62.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.39

$2.17 R 35.70

-72.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.14

$1.57 R 25.81

-64.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.72

$1.48 R 24.45

-60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 E£47.16

$1.30 R 21.41

-32.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.58

$1.13 R 18.60

-82.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 E£80.0

$3.60 R 59.3

-58.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 E£363

$6.15 R 101

10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 E£84.5

$1.38 R 22.66

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.08

$1.50 R 24.65

-86.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.56 E£404

$60.8 R 1,001

-87.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 E£41.30

$0.59 R 9.71

30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£23.13

$1.55 R 25.50

-72.26%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$17.85 E£953

$114 R 1,883

-84.39%

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

$6.84 E£365

$28.91 R 476

-76.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 E£955

$39.73 R 654

-54.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 E£801

$49.01 R 808

-69.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 E£509

$10.99 R 181

-13.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 E£257

$9.15 R 151

-47.54%

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)

$187 E£9,988

$1,021 R 16.8K

-81.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,868

$717 R 11.8K

-82.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 E£28.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-71.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 E£16.9K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-76.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$131 E£6,973

$1,639 R 27.0K

-92.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dahab

$169 * 37.2%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 33.5% $56

Accommodation & Living

Dahab

$129 28.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 457% $588

Eating Out

Dahab

$80 17.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 121% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dahab

$43 9.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 330% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Dahab

$25 5.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 174% $43

Getting Around

Dahab

$9.2 * 2%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 717% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Dahab

- * 0%

Cape Town

$143 9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Dahab 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 1155% 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 $13.00 in Dahab versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $225 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Dahab

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h behind Dahab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dahab Cape Town 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dahab
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

Dahab vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 250% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $680 per month in Dahab and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, 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 $453 in Dahab and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 250%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Dahab 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. Dahab costs $453 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 Dahab. 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.