Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $483 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇬 Egypt

$483

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Egypt and in South Africa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $483 in Egypt versus $1,209 in South Africa.

Egypt $483
South Africa $1,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $785 in Egypt versus $1,900 in South Africa.

Egypt $785
South Africa $1,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,088 in Egypt versus $2,590 in South Africa.

Egypt $1,088
South Africa $2,590

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $625 to $1,586, compared to $316–$728 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in Egypt costs about 60% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 64% lower, South Africa 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 E£197

$10.95 R 180

-66.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.73 E£1,000

$42.96 R 708

-56.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£252

$5.76 R 94.9

-18.06%

Cappuccino

$1.53 E£81.5

$2.38 R 39.20

-35.71%

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

$0.35 E£18.95

$1.16 R 19.15

-69.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.69

$0.87 R 14.33

-83.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 E£78.0

$2.44 R 40.21

-40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 E£154

$2.98 R 49.14

-3.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 E£45.14

$1.18 R 19.38

-27.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 E£38.42

$1.11 R 18.30

-35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£34.58

$1.74 R 28.71

-62.64%

Eggs

$1.26 E£67.3

$2.49 R 40.95

-49.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.50 E£187

$8.50 R 140

-58.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 E£228

$5.16 R 85.0

-17.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.73 E£466

$7.50 R 124

16.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 E£82.0

$1.88 R 31.00

-18.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£36.11

$1.68 R 27.71

-59.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 E£25.45

$1.78 R 29.39

-73.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.92

$1.83 R 30.21

-77.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 E£18.89

$1.49 R 24.51

-76.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.24

$1.50 R 24.77

-74.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£14.74

$1.27 R 20.99

-77.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.61

$1.10 R 18.09

-81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 E£104

$3.27 R 53.9

-40.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 E£358

$5.03 R 82.9

33.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 E£70.3

$1.52 R 25.10

-13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 E£113

$1.95 R 32.16

8.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 E£14.27

$1.58 R 26.08

-82.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.02 E£428

$61.4 R 1,011

-86.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.07

$1.11 R 18.34

-64.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 E£15.55

$0.95 R 15.64

-69.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 E£103

$7.46 R 123

-74.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.45

$1.46 R 23.98

-71.23%

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

$32.5K E£1.7M

$35.4K R 583.7K

-8.23%

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

$26.3K E£1.4M

$30.9K R 509.0K

-14.98%

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

$21.49 E£1,148

$134 R 2,201

-83.91%

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

$7.27 E£388

$34.44 R 567

-78.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.17 E£703

$40.37 R 665

-67.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.32 E£978

$34.11 R 562

-46.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.59 E£352

$11.59 R 191

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.04 E£162

$7.17 R 118

-57.60%

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

$102 E£5,448

$227 R 3,746

-55.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,562 E£136.8K

$5,487 R 90.4K

-53.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.81 E£1,431

$53.7 R 885

-50.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.03 E£2,298

$33.60 R 554

28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 E£6,020

$99.9 R 1,645

12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 E£2,676

$87.4 R 1,440

-42.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 E£8,149

$482 R 7,943

-68.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.2 E£5,193

$399 R 6,568

-75.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 E£15.9K

$935 R 15.4K

-68.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 E£10.2K

$818 R 13.5K

-76.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$717 E£38.3K

$1,096 R 18.1K

-34.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$439 E£23.5K

$785 R 12.9K

-44.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$146 E£7,821

$1,515 R 25.0K

-90.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

11.23

52.36%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 11, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Egypt

$127 26.2%

South Africa

$197 16.3% 55.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Egypt

$105 21.7%

South Africa

$124 10.2% 18% $19

Accommodation & Living

Egypt

$97 20.1%

South Africa

$399 33% 310% $301

Eating Out

Egypt

$77 16%

South Africa

$160 13.2% 107% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Egypt

$42 8.7%

South Africa

$208 17.2% 397% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Egypt

$24 5.1%

South Africa

$48 4% 98.6% $24

Getting Around

Egypt

$11 2.3%

South Africa

$74 6.1% 572% $63

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $140 in Egypt, $421 in South Africa. Capital cities: $222 in Cairo vs $1,021 in Cape Town.

National salary averages: $138 in Egypt, $1,487 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 201% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 124% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 467% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 978% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h behind Egypt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,535,772

62,027,503

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Egypt South Africa 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Egypt
South Africa

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

Egypt vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $483 per month in Egypt and $1,209 in South Africa, there's a 150% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $421 in South Africa and $140 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Egypt wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.