Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $330 per month in Ismailia vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ismailia $330
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $561 per month in Ismailia vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ismailia $561
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $792 per month in Ismailia vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ismailia $792
Cape Town $3,320

Ismailia is about 79% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ismailia sits 76% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 E£176

$12.07 R 199

-72.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.58 E£778

$46.65 R 769

-68.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 E£201

$6.20 R 102

-39.35%

Cappuccino

$1.04 E£55.5

$2.50 R 41.13

-58.40%

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

$0.30 E£15.91

$1.35 R 22.28

-77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.85

$1.00 R 16.47

-87.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£70.6

$3.06 R 50.4

-56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 E£96.0

$3.67 R 60.5

-50.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£42.30

$1.30 R 21.45

-39.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 E£19.07

$1.27 R 20.89

-71.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£32.12

$2.17 R 35.68

-72.35%

Eggs

$1.15 E£61.5

$3.09 R 50.9

-62.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.49 E£186

$8.98 R 148

-61.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 E£213

$6.99 R 115

-43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 E£371

$9.67 R 159

-28.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.3

$1.87 R 30.78

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.05

$1.93 R 31.72

-72.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.01

$1.77 R 29.13

-76.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.79

$2.18 R 35.86

-85.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.89

$1.52 R 25.07

-82.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.12

$1.56 R 25.63

-79.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.31

$1.32 R 21.74

-82.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.67

$1.15 R 18.97

-82.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 E£99.5

$3.72 R 61.4

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 E£293

$6.01 R 99.0

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 E£55.4

$1.34 R 22.13

-22.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 E£101

$2.13 R 35.11

-11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 E£12.26

$1.55 R 25.53

-85.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.77 E£201

$61.3 R 1,010

-93.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.60

$0.60 R 9.85

-35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 E£25.72

$1.54 R 25.36

-68.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 E£60.2

$5.01 R 82.5

-77.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.18

$1.60 R 26.33

-73.75%

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

$27.6K E£1.5M

$35.4K R 583.4K

-21.95%

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

$14.6K E£780.2K

$34.7K R 570.9K

-57.84%

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

$13.94 E£744

$119 R 1,955

-88.25%

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

$6.66 E£355

$29.42 R 485

-77.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.33 E£391

$39.81 R 656

-81.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.65 E£515

$50.8 R 836

-80.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 E£984

$10.93 R 180

68.53%

Cinema Ticket

$1.82 E£97.4

$8.99 R 148

-79.76%

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

$65.6 E£3,502

$261 R 4,303

-74.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,171 E£62.5K

$6,966 R 114.8K

-83.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.92 E£690

$56.1 R 925

-76.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.19 E£491

$33.26 R 548

-72.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,764

$121 R 1,999

4.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.53 E£1,470

$108 R 1,779

-74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 E£4,181

$1,028 R 16.9K

-92.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$31.44 E£1,679

$720 R 11.9K

-95.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 E£6,414

$1,835 R 30.2K

-93.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.2 E£4,017

$1,360 R 22.4K

-94.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$458 E£24.5K

$2,407 R 39.6K

-80.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$131 E£6,984

$1,504 R 24.8K

-91.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 E£5,387

$1,649 R 27.2K

-93.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

10.97

94.44%

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

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ismailia

$108 32.8%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 109% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Ismailia

$79 24.1%

Cape Town

$143 9% 80.8% $64

Eating Out

Ismailia

$62 18.8%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 186% $115

Accommodation & Living

Ismailia

$31 9.5%

Cape Town

$720 45% 2189% $688

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ismailia

$28 8.5%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 573% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Ismailia

$13 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 417% $55

Getting Around

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 913% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $78.3 in Ismailia versus $1,028 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 1535% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $226 – making Ismailia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h behind Ismailia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

352,000

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 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

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Between locations

Ismailia Cape Town 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ismailia
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

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

Cape Town costs about 385% more than Ismailia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $494 per month in Ismailia and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ismailia, 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 $330 in Ismailia and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 385%.

Public transport costs about 1526% less in Ismailia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ismailia, where all-in costs run around $330, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Ismailia 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. Ismailia costs $330 versus $1,599 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 Ismailia. 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.