Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hurghada and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Hurghada: $473 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Hurghada
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Hurghada Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Hurghada

🇪🇬 Egypt

$473

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $473 per month in Hurghada vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hurghada $473
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $963 per month in Hurghada vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hurghada $963
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,453 per month in Hurghada vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hurghada $1,453
Cape Town $3,307

Hurghada is about 70% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Hurghada sits 65% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 E£203

$11.78 R 194

-67.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.97 E£2,091

$46.55 R 768

-14.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 E£304

$5.96 R 98.4

-2.35%

Cappuccino

$1.94 E£102

$2.47 R 40.80

-21.46%

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

$0.48 E£25.05

$1.33 R 21.91

-63.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.35

$1.03 R 16.99

-80.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 E£101

$3.01 R 49.72

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 E£163

$3.66 R 60.4

-14.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£49.30

$1.39 R 22.96

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 E£40.66

$1.19 R 19.60

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£31.59

$2.11 R 34.84

-71.56%

Eggs

$1.92 E£101

$3.01 R 49.58

-36.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.25 E£170

$8.96 R 148

-63.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 E£307

$6.65 R 110

-11.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 E£503

$9.29 R 153

3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 E£74.4

$1.83 R 30.13

-22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.48 E£24.94

$1.90 R 31.31

-74.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.47

$1.75 R 28.83

-76.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.43 E£22.52

$2.09 R 34.41

-79.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£17.81

$1.55 R 25.64

-78.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.42

$1.49 R 24.53

-72.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£13.97

$1.30 R 21.41

-79.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.52

$1.16 R 19.19

-84.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 E£112

$3.71 R 61.2

-42.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 E£389

$6.06 R 100

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 E£63.3

$1.39 R 22.85

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 E£91.2

$2.20 R 36.32

-20.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£10.27

$1.51 R 24.98

-86.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.72 E£299

$61.0 R 1,006

-90.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 E£51.4

$0.63 R 10.33

55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.37

$1.53 R 25.29

-86.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 E£101

$4.81 R 79.4

-59.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.69

$1.58 R 26.08

-71.52%

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

$31.8K E£1.7M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-10.47%

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

$22.3K E£1.2M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-29.64%

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

$24.80 E£1,298

$116 R 1,920

-78.69%

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

$7.72 E£404

$28.37 R 468

-72.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.60 E£502

$40.69 R 671

-76.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.21 E£1,424

$48.85 R 806

-44.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.99 E£313

$11.13 R 184

-46.18%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 E£176

$8.83 R 146

-61.95%

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

$99.9 E£5,229

$261 R 4,314

-61.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$604 E£31.6K

$6,702 R 110.6K

-90.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.13 E£1,053

$55.4 R 914

-63.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.96 E£1,724

$32.27 R 532

2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.43 E£1,487

$107 R 1,766

-73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 E£11.2K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-78.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 E£6,245

$715 R 11.8K

-83.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 E£11.3K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-88.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 E£29.0K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-58.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$553 E£28.9K

$2,331 R 38.5K

-76.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$602 E£31.5K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-60.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$154 E£8,082

$1,636 R 27.0K

-90.56%

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 Hurghada: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hurghada

$139 29.5%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 60.6% $84

Accommodation & Living

Hurghada

$119 25.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 499% $596

Eating Out

Hurghada

$90 19.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 92.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hurghada

$42 9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 340% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Hurghada

$37 * 7.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 283% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Hurghada

$34 7.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 96% $33

Getting Around

Hurghada

$8.5 1.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 788% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Hurghada versus $1,015 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 959% 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 $40.00 in Hurghada versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $139 vs $222 – making Hurghada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Hurghada

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Hurghada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,901

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hurghada Cape Town 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hurghada
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

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

Cape Town costs about 232% more than Hurghada, 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 $709 per month in Hurghada and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hurghada, 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 $473 in Hurghada and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 232%.

Public transport costs about 966% less in Hurghada. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hurghada, where all-in costs run around $473, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Hurghada 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. Hurghada costs $473 versus $1,568 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 Hurghada. 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.