Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meknes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $683 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$683

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $683 per month in Meknes vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Meknes $683
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,051 per month in Meknes vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Meknes $1,051
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,419 per month in Meknes vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Meknes $1,419
Cape Town $3,263

Meknes is about 57% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meknes sits 49% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 MAD 31.03

$12.14 R 200

-73.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.67 MAD 153

$45.34 R 747

-65.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MAD 59.2

$5.88 R 96.9

3.23%

Cappuccino

$1.21 MAD 11.84

$2.50 R 41.18

-51.60%

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

$0.90 MAD 8.77

$1.27 R 20.94

-29.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MAD 4.32

$0.98 R 16.14

-55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MAD 29.86

$2.99 R 49.33

2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 MAD 35.72

$3.72 R 61.4

-1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.11

$1.30 R 21.40

-36.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 MAD 3.78

$1.25 R 20.68

-68.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 MAD 12.62

$2.23 R 36.76

-42.15%

Eggs

$1.85 MAD 18.03

$3.11 R 51.2

-40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 MAD 108

$9.06 R 149

21.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 MAD 51.9

$6.92 R 114

-23.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.21 MAD 89.8

$9.30 R 153

-0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 MAD 11.74

$1.84 R 30.25

-34.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MAD 12.91

$1.96 R 32.29

-32.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.64 MAD 6.26

$1.67 R 27.45

-61.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.03

$2.17 R 35.70

-66.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$1.57 R 25.81

-65.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MAD 5.40

$1.48 R 24.45

-62.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 MAD 4.75

$1.30 R 21.41

-62.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MAD 5.37

$1.13 R 18.60

-51.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MAD 40.42

$3.60 R 59.3

15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 MAD 80.3

$6.15 R 101

33.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 MAD 23.23

$1.38 R 22.66

72.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MAD 25.65

$2.14 R 35.20

22.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 MAD 3.90

$1.50 R 24.65

-73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 MAD 154

$60.8 R 1,001

-74.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.75

$0.59 R 9.71

16.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MAD 2.91

$1.50 R 24.65

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MAD 43.90

$5.11 R 84.2

-11.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MAD 13.87

$1.55 R 25.50

-8.39%

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

$31.2K MAD 304.3K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-13.79%

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

$30.9K MAD 301.3K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-1.10%

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

$31.22 MAD 304

$114 R 1,883

-72.69%

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

$9.45 MAD 92.2

$28.91 R 476

-67.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.10 MAD 332

$39.73 R 654

-14.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 MAD 278

$49.01 R 808

-41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.68 MAD 319

$10.99 R 181

197.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 MAD 40.96

$9.15 R 151

-54.10%

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

$123 MAD 1,202

$259 R 4,264

-52.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,616 MAD 54.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-17.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MAD 591

$56.2 R 926

7.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 MAD 437

$32.41 R 534

38.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 MAD 909

$121 R 1,987

-22.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 MAD 580

$108 R 1,781

-44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 MAD 2,599

$1,021 R 16.8K

-73.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 MAD 1,674

$717 R 11.8K

-76.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 MAD 4,460

$1,824 R 30.1K

-74.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MAD 2,802

$1,327 R 21.9K

-78.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$965 MAD 9,406

$2,391 R 39.4K

-59.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$603 MAD 5,876

$1,542 R 25.4K

-60.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$475 MAD 4,632

$1,639 R 27.0K

-71.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.97

-58.98%

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

Last update for Meknes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Meknes

$177 26%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 26.9% $48

Accommodation & Living

Meknes

$172 25.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 318% $545

Clothing & Footwear

Meknes

$116 17%

Cape Town

$143 9% 22.8% $27

Eating Out

Meknes

$86 12.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 104% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meknes

$75 11%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 145% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Meknes

$37 5.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 82.3% $30

Getting Around

Meknes

$20 2.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 283% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Meknes 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 245% 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 Meknes versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $225 – making Meknes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Meknes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

1 h ahead of Meknes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,428

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 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 MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Meknes Cape Town 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Meknes
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

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

Cape Town costs about 132% more than Meknes, 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 $1,024 per month in Meknes 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 Meknes, 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 $683 in Meknes and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 132%.

Public transport costs about 285% less in Meknes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Meknes, where all-in costs run around $683, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Meknes 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. Meknes costs $683 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 Meknes. 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.