Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $2,192 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,192
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,978 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,978
Cairo $1,431

Johannesburg costs about 119% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 197

$4.69 E£245

155.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 727

$28.49 E£1,491

54.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$6.03 E£315

22.89%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.67

$1.81 E£94.7

36.46%

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

$1.17 R 19.36

$0.35 E£18.18

234.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.15 E£7.95

480.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.31

$1.45 E£76.0

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.86

$2.24 E£117

24.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.12

$0.97 E£50.7

38.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.41

$0.73 E£37.96

69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.33

$0.77 E£40.24

131.17%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.59

$1.17 E£61.2

125.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 139

$4.32 E£226

94.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.4

$5.07 E£265

5.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 139

$8.92 E£467

-5.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.76

$1.83 E£95.8

12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.65

$0.75 E£39.07

140.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.32

$0.57 E£29.78

222.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.47

$0.51 E£26.62

298.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.23

$0.38 E£20.05

350.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.16

$0.42 E£21.88

335.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.34

$0.35 E£18.43

302.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.82

$0.24 E£12.57

450.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 55.8

$1.99 E£104

69.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 98.8

$7.48 E£391

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.31

$1.52 E£79.4

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.28

$2.13 E£112

14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 33.85

$0.33 E£17.10

521.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,477

$8.66 E£453

933.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.58

$0.37 E£19.27

121.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.41

$0.20 E£10.65

365.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$1.49 E£77.8

884.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.77

$0.46 E£23.94

226.09%

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

$36.0K R 594.6K

$32.6K E£1.7M

10.45%

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

$32.7K R 539.8K

$28.4K E£1.5M

15.22%

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

$227 R 3,751

$27.54 E£1,441

725.45%

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

$37.98 R 627

$8.27 E£432

359.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 602

$14.05 E£735

159.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 608

$28.27 E£1,479

30.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 287

$6.70 E£350

159.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 129

$4.40 E£230

78.18%

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

$238 R 3,931

$121 E£6,356

96.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 91.8K

$3,619 E£189.3K

53.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 967

$40.16 E£2,101

45.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 768

$49.61 E£2,596

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,796

$115 E£6,033

-5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,738

$60.6 E£3,170

73.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,177

$220 E£11.5K

125.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,958

$194 E£10.2K

117.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.1K

$514 E£26.9K

90.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.7K

$334 E£17.5K

167.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 15.9K

$806 E£42.2K

19.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$513 E£26.9K

47.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.0K

$200 E£10.5K

776.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

16.21

-32.70%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 54% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 83.5% $252

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 34.5% $74

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 47.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 16.8% $24

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 89% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 29.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $496 in Johannesburg versus $220 in Cairo. 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 777% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

1 h ahead of Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Cairo 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Cairo

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

Johannesburg vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johannesburg is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,109 per month in Johannesburg and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Johannesburg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Johannesburg and $28.00 in Cairo. 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 Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.