Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $959 in Polokwane, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Polokwane and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Polokwane and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $959 per month in Polokwane vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Polokwane $959
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,417 per month in Polokwane vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Polokwane $1,417
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $1,875 per month in Polokwane vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Polokwane $1,875
Cairo $1,423

Polokwane costs about 48% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Polokwane and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Polokwane 29% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$4.64 E£248

163.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$28.12 E£1,501

5.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$6.03 E£322

23.71%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$1.72 E£92.1

38.37%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$0.36 E£19.38

113.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$0.12 E£6.41

633.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$1.51 E£80.4

11.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$2.32 E£124

-18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$0.92 E£48.92

43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$0.73 E£38.92

47.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$0.74 E£39.64

129.73%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$1.19 E£63.7

122.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$4.33 E£231

81.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$5.03 E£269

-8.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$9.28 E£496

-34.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$1.77 E£94.4

13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$0.73 E£39.03

153.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$0.55 E£29.51

229.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$0.50 E£26.91

292.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$0.42 E£22.42

297.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$0.41 E£21.81

265.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$0.33 E£17.51

239.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$0.21 E£11.20

290.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$1.98 E£106

35.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$7.81 E£417

-37.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.59 E£84.7

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$2.09 E£112

-22.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$0.35 E£18.83

162.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$8.69 E£464

245.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.39 E£21.02

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$0.22 E£11.57

331.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$1.51 E£80.5

850.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$0.43 E£22.88

232.56%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-20.17%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$27.2K E£1.5M

4.54%

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

$138 R 2,281

$27.27 E£1,456

407.74%

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

$38.10 R 628

$8.58 E£458

344.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$13.99 E£747

135.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$29.69 E£1,585

-21.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$4.86 E£260

64.61%

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

$179 R 2,946

$121 E£6,438

48.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$3,560 E£190.1K

-59.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$40.28 E£2,151

12.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$49.53 E£2,645

-23.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$115 E£6,137

-29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$60.0 E£3,206

56.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$222 E£11.9K

30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$195 E£10.4K

3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$550 E£29.3K

-23.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$346 E£18.5K

-17.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$200 E£10.7K

572.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

16.21

-32.70%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 76.2% $160

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 3.8% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 23.4% $43

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 46.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 2.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 70.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in Polokwane versus $222 in Cairo. 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 572% higher in Polokwane, 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 $30.00 in Polokwane versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

1 h ahead of Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Polokwane Cairo 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
Cairo

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

Polokwane vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Polokwane is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Polokwane and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Polokwane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Polokwane and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $959 in Polokwane and $647 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Polokwane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.