Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kairouan and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
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Kairouan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in Kairouan vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kairouan $634
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $975 per month in Kairouan vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kairouan $975
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,316 per month in Kairouan vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kairouan $1,316
Cape Town $3,263

Kairouan is about 60% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kairouan sits 53% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 TND 7.96

$12.14 R 200

-78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 TND 46.83

$45.34 R 747

-65.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.17 TND 18.49

$5.88 R 96.9

4.93%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.87

$2.50 R 41.18

-61.60%

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

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.27 R 20.94

-37.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 TND 1.20

$0.98 R 16.14

-59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 TND 5.11

$2.99 R 49.33

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 TND 7.92

$3.72 R 61.4

-29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 TND 1.36

$1.30 R 21.40

-65.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.07 TND 0.22

$1.25 R 20.68

-94.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 TND 5.25

$2.23 R 36.76

-21.52%

Eggs

$1.49 TND 4.45

$3.11 R 51.2

-52.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 TND 29.97

$9.06 R 149

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 TND 16.22

$6.92 R 114

-21.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 TND 35.70

$9.30 R 153

28.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 TND 6.57

$1.84 R 30.25

19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 TND 6.82

$1.96 R 32.29

16.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 TND 3.38

$1.67 R 27.45

-32.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.30

$2.17 R 35.70

-64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$1.57 R 25.81

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 TND 1.86

$1.48 R 24.45

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 TND 1.57

$1.30 R 21.41

-59.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$1.13 R 18.60

-76.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 TND 10.00

$3.60 R 59.3

-7.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 TND 20.52

$6.15 R 101

11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 TND 3.84

$1.38 R 22.66

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 TND 4.63

$2.14 R 35.20

-27.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$1.50 R 24.65

-78.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.94 TND 29.77

$60.8 R 1,001

-83.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$0.59 R 9.71

-50.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.00

$1.50 R 24.65

-77.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 TND 5.27

$5.11 R 84.2

-65.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.55 R 25.50

-48.39%

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

$39.1K TND 117.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

7.98%

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

$36.1K TND 108.3K

$31.2K R 514.8K

15.68%

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

$60.0 TND 180

$114 R 1,883

-47.54%

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

$9.27 TND 27.77

$28.91 R 476

-67.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.01 TND 59.9

$39.73 R 654

-49.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.03 TND 69.0

$49.01 R 808

-53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 TND 37.53

$10.99 R 181

14.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 TND 13.75

$9.15 R 151

-49.84%

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

$106 TND 317

$259 R 4,264

-59.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,221 TND 9,647

$6,794 R 111.9K

-52.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.58 TND 70.6

$56.2 R 926

-58.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 TND 183

$32.41 R 534

88.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.83 TND 140

$121 R 1,987

-61.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 TND 262

$108 R 1,781

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$116 TND 347

$1,021 R 16.8K

-88.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 TND 463

$717 R 11.8K

-78.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 TND 1,115

$1,824 R 30.1K

-79.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 TND 812

$1,327 R 21.9K

-79.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$953 TND 2,855

$2,391 R 39.4K

-60.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$609 TND 1,825

$1,542 R 25.4K

-60.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 TND 959

$1,639 R 27.0K

-80.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

10.97

-6.29%

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

Last update for Kairouan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kairouan

$176 27.7%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 28% $49

Accommodation & Living

Kairouan

$155 24.4%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 363% $562

Clothing & Footwear

Kairouan

$99 15.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 44.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kairouan

$89 14.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 105% $94

Eating Out

Kairouan

$70 11%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 152% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Kairouan

$32 5.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 109% $35

Getting Around

Kairouan

$13 2.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 468% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $116 in Kairouan 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 412% 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 $16.00 in Kairouan versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $225 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h ahead of Kairouan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,070

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kairouan Cape Town 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kairouan
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

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

Cape Town costs about 150% more than Kairouan, 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 $950 per month in Kairouan 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 Kairouan, 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 $634 in Kairouan and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 150%.

Public transport costs about 511% less in Kairouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kairouan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Kairouan 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. Kairouan costs $634 versus $1,586 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 Kairouan. 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.