Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahdia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Mahdia vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mahdia $557
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $881 per month in Mahdia vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mahdia $881
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Mahdia vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mahdia $1,206
Cape Town $3,263

Mahdia is about 65% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mahdia sits 59% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 TND 7.44

$12.14 R 200

-79.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.01 TND 59.9

$45.34 R 747

-55.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 TND 14.49

$5.88 R 96.9

-17.69%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.89

$2.50 R 41.18

-61.60%

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

$0.57 TND 1.72

$1.27 R 20.94

-55.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 TND 0.56

$0.98 R 16.14

-80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 TND 3.07

$2.99 R 49.33

-65.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 TND 4.52

$3.72 R 61.4

-59.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.43 TND 1.30

$1.30 R 21.40

-66.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$1.25 R 20.68

-79.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 TND 4.13

$2.23 R 36.76

-38.12%

Eggs

$1.53 TND 4.58

$3.11 R 51.2

-50.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 TND 35.19

$9.06 R 149

29.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 TND 14.87

$6.92 R 114

-28.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 TND 43.29

$9.30 R 153

55.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.56

$1.84 R 30.25

55.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.55

$1.96 R 32.29

45.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 TND 4.32

$1.67 R 27.45

-13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 TND 2.15

$2.17 R 35.70

-66.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$1.57 R 25.81

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$1.48 R 24.45

-77.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 TND 1.29

$1.30 R 21.41

-66.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$1.13 R 18.60

-72.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 TND 10.56

$3.60 R 59.3

-1.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.35 TND 10.04

$6.15 R 101

-45.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 TND 4.88

$1.38 R 22.66

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 TND 3.75

$2.14 R 35.20

-41.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$1.50 R 24.65

-78.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.33 TND 39.92

$60.8 R 1,001

-78.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$0.59 R 9.71

-47.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 TND 0.77

$1.50 R 24.65

-82.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 TND 2.64

$1.55 R 25.50

-43.23%

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

$40.9K TND 122.5K

$36.2K R 596.5K

12.92%

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

$40.1K TND 120.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

28.26%

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

$56.3 TND 169

$114 R 1,883

-50.73%

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

$7.15 TND 21.41

$28.91 R 476

-75.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 TND 60.2

$39.73 R 654

-49.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.52 TND 61.5

$49.01 R 808

-58.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 TND 23.03

$10.99 R 181

-30.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 TND 20.36

$9.15 R 151

-25.68%

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

$109 TND 326

$259 R 4,264

-57.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$985 TND 2,951

$6,794 R 111.9K

-85.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.98 TND 114

$56.2 R 926

-32.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 TND 98.2

$32.41 R 534

1.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 TND 230

$121 R 1,987

-36.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.51 TND 70.4

$108 R 1,781

-78.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 TND 390

$1,021 R 16.8K

-87.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TND 301

$717 R 11.8K

-86.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 TND 875

$1,824 R 30.1K

-83.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 TND 523

$1,327 R 21.9K

-86.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 TND 2,022

$2,391 R 39.4K

-71.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$201 TND 602

$1,542 R 25.4K

-86.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$232 TND 695

$1,639 R 27.0K

-85.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

10.97

-5.83%

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

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mahdia

$188 33.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 19.4% $37

Accommodation & Living

Mahdia

$100 18%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 615% $617

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahdia

$84 15%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 119% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mahdia

$77 13.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 85.4% $66

Eating Out

Mahdia

$57 10.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 208% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Mahdia

$34 6.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 97.3% $33

Getting Around

Mahdia

$16 2.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 362% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Mahdia 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 607% 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 $20.00 in Mahdia versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $225 – making Mahdia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

22:49 10:49 PM

1 h ahead of Mahdia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,545

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 17, 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 17, 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

Mahdia Cape Town 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahdia
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

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

Cape Town costs about 185% more than Mahdia, 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 $835 per month in Mahdia 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 Mahdia, 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 $557 in Mahdia and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 185%.

Public transport costs about 356% less in Mahdia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahdia, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Mahdia 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. Mahdia costs $557 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 Mahdia. 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.