Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eilat and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,978 in Eilat, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Eilat
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Eilat Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Eilat

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,978

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,978 per month in Eilat vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Eilat $2,978
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $4,437 per month in Eilat vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Eilat $4,437
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $5,895 per month in Eilat vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Eilat $5,895
Cape Town $3,263

Eilat costs about 88% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Eilat and Cape Town sit above the global median – Eilat by 121%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.88 ₪80.5

$12.14 R 200

113.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 ₪409

$45.34 R 747

190.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.47 ₪63.7

$5.88 R 96.9

248.13%

Cappuccino

$5.55 ₪17.25

$2.50 R 41.18

122.00%

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

$4.04 ₪12.55

$1.27 R 20.94

218.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₪9.89

$0.98 R 16.14

224.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.28 ₪35.09

$2.99 R 49.33

277.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.79 ₪33.56

$3.72 R 61.4

190.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 ₪7.86

$1.30 R 21.40

94.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 ₪13.75

$1.25 R 20.68

253.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 ₪11.91

$2.23 R 36.76

71.75%

Eggs

$4.17 ₪12.96

$3.11 R 51.2

34.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.94 ₪68.3

$9.06 R 149

142.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.98 ₪49.72

$6.92 R 114

130.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.51 ₪79.4

$9.30 R 153

174.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ₪10.99

$1.84 R 30.25

91.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₪6.21

$1.96 R 32.29

2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 ₪4.96

$1.67 R 27.45

-4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 ₪5.95

$2.17 R 35.70

-11.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ₪4.97

$1.57 R 25.81

1.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ₪5.00

$1.48 R 24.45

8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 ₪8.45

$1.30 R 21.41

108.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₪8.22

$1.13 R 18.60

133.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 ₪44.99

$3.60 R 59.3

301.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 ₪35.13

$6.15 R 101

83.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₪7.05

$1.38 R 22.66

64.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₪4.13

$2.14 R 35.20

-37.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 ₪7.22

$1.50 R 24.65

54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 ₪267

$60.8 R 1,001

41.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 ₪13.68

$0.59 R 9.71

645.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 ₪3.42

$1.50 R 24.65

-26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.62 ₪61.0

$5.11 R 84.2

283.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.60 ₪8.10

$1.55 R 25.50

67.74%

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

$56.1K ₪174.6K

$36.2K R 596.5K

55.02%

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

$56.7K ₪176.4K

$31.2K R 514.8K

81.44%

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

$438 ₪1,363

$114 R 1,883

283.13%

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

$11.28 ₪35.10

$28.91 R 476

-60.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.45 ₪110

$39.73 R 654

-10.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.6 ₪257

$49.01 R 808

68.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 ₪48.38

$9.15 R 151

69.95%

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

$1,677 ₪5,216

$259 R 4,264

547.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K ₪97.5K

$6,794 R 111.9K

361.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ₪387

$56.2 R 926

121.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.4 ₪266

$32.41 R 534

163.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₪352

$121 R 1,987

-6.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$193 ₪601

$108 R 1,781

78.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 ₪4,634

$1,021 R 16.8K

45.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,560

$717 R 11.8K

59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 ₪7,208

$1,824 R 30.1K

27.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₪5,755

$1,327 R 21.9K

39.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K ₪32.9K

$2,391 R 39.4K

342.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,075 ₪28.2K

$1,542 R 25.4K

488.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,804 ₪8,725

$1,639 R 27.0K

71.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

10.97

-54.15%

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

Last update for Eilat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eilat

$1.1K 38.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 37.4% $427

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eilat

$485 16.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 62.3% $302

Groceries & Markets

Eilat

$456 15.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 50.7% $232

Eating Out

Eilat

$442 14.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 60.1% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Eilat

$232 7.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 38.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Eilat

$114 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 40.8% $46

Getting Around

Eilat

$105 3.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 28.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,490 in Eilat 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 71% higher in Eilat, 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 $132 in Eilat versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Eilat

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

1 h behind Eilat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,618

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Eilat Cape Town 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Eilat
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

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

Eilat costs about 88% more than Cape Town, 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 $4,467 per month in Eilat 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 Cape Town, 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 $2,978 in Eilat and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 88%.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Eilat at $2,978. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eilat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,978 in Eilat. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Eilat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.