Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medea and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $452 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Medea
Learn more

Medea Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Medea

🇩🇿 Algeria

$452

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $452 per month in Medea vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Medea $452
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $773 per month in Medea vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Medea $773
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,095 per month in Medea vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Medea $1,095
Cape Town $3,263

Medea is about 72% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medea sits 67% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 DZD 256

$12.14 R 200

-84.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.16 DZD 3,771

$45.34 R 747

-37.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 DZD 532

$5.88 R 96.9

-32.48%

Cappuccino

$0.37 DZD 49.16

$2.50 R 41.18

-85.20%

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

$0.40 DZD 53.9

$1.27 R 20.94

-68.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 DZD 26.00

$0.98 R 16.14

-80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 DZD 303

$2.99 R 49.33

-24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 DZD 305

$3.72 R 61.4

-38.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 DZD 119

$1.30 R 21.40

-31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.09 DZD 11.91

$1.25 R 20.68

-92.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 DZD 153

$2.23 R 36.76

-48.88%

Eggs

$1.17 DZD 157

$3.11 R 51.2

-62.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 DZD 1,074

$9.06 R 149

-11.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 DZD 515

$6.92 R 114

-44.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 DZD 1,941

$9.30 R 153

55.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 DZD 268

$1.84 R 30.25

8.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 DZD 370

$1.96 R 32.29

41.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 DZD 144

$1.67 R 27.45

-35.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 DZD 73.0

$2.17 R 35.70

-74.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 DZD 76.3

$1.57 R 25.81

-63.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 DZD 65.0

$1.48 R 24.45

-66.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 DZD 108

$1.30 R 21.41

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 DZD 36.50

$1.13 R 18.60

-76.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 DZD 277

$3.60 R 59.3

-42.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 DZD 882

$6.15 R 101

7.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 DZD 170

$1.38 R 22.66

-7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 DZD 256

$2.14 R 35.20

-10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 DZD 28.23

$1.50 R 24.65

-86.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.77 DZD 906

$60.8 R 1,001

-88.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 DZD 72.6

$0.59 R 9.71

-8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 DZD 62.2

$1.50 R 24.65

-69.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 DZD 741

$5.11 R 84.2

8.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 DZD 47.76

$1.55 R 25.50

-76.77%

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

$18.9K DZD 2.5M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-47.70%

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

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

$31.2K R 514.8K

11.71%

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

$18.45 DZD 2,470

$114 R 1,883

-83.86%

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

$7.91 DZD 1,059

$28.91 R 476

-72.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 DZD 1,638

$39.73 R 654

-69.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.02 DZD 2,948

$49.01 R 808

-55.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.89 DZD 254

$10.99 R 181

-82.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 DZD 440

$9.15 R 151

-64.04%

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

$38.35 DZD 5,134

$259 R 4,264

-85.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,214 DZD 831.9K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-8.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.56 DZD 2,619

$56.2 R 926

-65.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.40 DZD 4,204

$32.41 R 534

-3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.44 DZD 4,075

$121 R 1,987

-74.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 DZD 7,159

$108 R 1,781

-50.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 DZD 19.6K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-85.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.4 DZD 12.2K

$717 R 11.8K

-87.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 DZD 36.6K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-85.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 DZD 25.7K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-85.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$969 DZD 129.8K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-59.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,029 DZD 137.8K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-33.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$310 DZD 41.6K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-81.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-54.42%

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

Last update for Medea: 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

Medea

$172 38.1%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 30.8% $53

Accommodation & Living

Medea

$91 20.3%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 684% $625

Clothing & Footwear

Medea

$61 13.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 135% $82

Eating Out

Medea

$50 11.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 253% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medea

$39 8.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 374% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Medea

$29 6.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 135% $39

Getting Around

Medea

$10 2.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 614% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $146 in Medea 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 428% 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 $28.00 in Medea versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $225 – making Medea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇿 Medea

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

1 h ahead of Medea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,355

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇿 Algerian Dinar (د.ج)

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 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 DZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medea Cape Town 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medea
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

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

Cape Town costs about 251% more than Medea, 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 $677 per month in Medea 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 Medea, 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 $452 in Medea and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 251%.

Public transport costs about 797% less in Medea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medea, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Medea 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. Medea costs $452 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 Medea. 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.