Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laayoune and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Laayoune: $118 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Laayoune
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Laayoune Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Laayoune

🇪🇭 Western Sahara

$118

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $118 per month in Laayoune vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Laayoune $118
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $168 per month in Laayoune vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Laayoune $168
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $218 per month in Laayoune vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Laayoune $218
Cape Town $3,307

Laayoune is about 92% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Laayoune sits 91% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 MAD 39.58

$11.78 R 194

-65.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 MAD 32.60

$5.96 R 98.4

-43.79%

Cappuccino

$1.97 MAD 19.20

$2.47 R 40.80

-20.24%

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

$0.41 MAD 4.02

$1.33 R 21.91

-69.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MAD 3.04

$1.03 R 16.99

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MAD 6.58

$1.51 R 24.98

-54.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MAD 6.60

$0.63 R 10.33

7.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 MAD 6.66

$1.53 R 25.29

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MAD 12.94

$1.58 R 26.08

-15.82%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 MAD 193

$40.69 R 671

-51.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.51 MAD 433

$55.4 R 914

-19.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

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 Laayoune: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Laayoune

$69 * 59.7%

Cape Town

$174 11% 151% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Laayoune

$20 * 17.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 601% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laayoune

$20 * 17.1%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 837% $166

Getting Around

Laayoune

$6.8 * 5.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 1007% $69

Groceries & Markets

Laayoune

- * 0%

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Laayoune

- * 0%

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Accommodation & Living

Laayoune

- * 0%

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

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

Good to know

🇪🇭 Laayoune

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Laayoune

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,331 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.16 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.92 MAD (100 MAD = 9.16 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 MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laayoune Cape Town 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Laayoune
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

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

Cape Town costs about 1233% more than Laayoune, 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 $176 per month in Laayoune and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Laayoune, where all-in costs run around $118, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Laayoune 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. Laayoune costs $118 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 Laayoune. 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.