Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfax and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $620 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
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Sfax Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$620

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $620 per month in Sfax vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sfax $620
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $975 per month in Sfax vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sfax $975
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Sfax vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sfax $1,329
Cape Town $3,307

Sfax is about 60% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sfax sits 54% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 TND 10.24

$11.78 R 195

-70.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.82 TND 59.1

$46.55 R 772

-57.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 TND 15.02

$5.96 R 98.9

-15.60%

Cappuccino

$0.71 TND 2.10

$2.47 R 41.01

-71.26%

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

$0.58 TND 1.73

$1.33 R 22.03

-56.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$1.03 R 17.08

-73.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 TND 4.66

$3.01 R 49.98

-48.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 TND 6.03

$3.66 R 60.8

-44.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 TND 1.49

$1.39 R 23.08

-64.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 TND 0.72

$1.19 R 19.70

-79.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 TND 4.12

$2.11 R 35.02

-34.60%

Eggs

$1.56 TND 4.64

$3.01 R 49.84

-48.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 TND 36.76

$8.96 R 149

37.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 TND 17.18

$6.65 R 110

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 TND 41.70

$9.29 R 154

50.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 TND 5.29

$1.83 R 30.28

-3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 TND 9.18

$1.90 R 31.47

62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 TND 3.11

$1.75 R 28.98

-40.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 TND 2.04

$2.09 R 34.59

-67.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.42

$1.55 R 25.78

-47.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.29

$1.49 R 24.65

-48.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 TND 1.72

$1.30 R 21.53

-55.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 TND 1.03

$1.16 R 19.29

-69.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 TND 11.53

$3.71 R 61.5

4.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 TND 19.41

$6.06 R 101

7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 TND 3.56

$1.39 R 22.97

-14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 TND 3.10

$2.20 R 36.51

-52.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 TND 0.55

$1.51 R 25.11

-88.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.98 TND 29.77

$61.0 R 1,011

-83.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 TND 1.00

$0.63 R 10.38

-47.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$1.53 R 25.42

-77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 TND 22.56

$4.81 R 79.8

57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 TND 2.47

$1.58 R 26.22

-47.47%

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

$36.5K TND 109.0K

$35.5K R 588.7K

2.94%

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

$34.9K TND 104.2K

$31.7K R 526.6K

9.97%

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

$44.47 TND 133

$116 R 1,930

-61.79%

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

$9.43 TND 28.14

$28.37 R 471

-66.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.85 TND 44.31

$40.69 R 675

-63.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.37 TND 81.7

$48.85 R 810

-43.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 TND 21.85

$11.13 R 185

-34.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 TND 13.30

$8.83 R 146

-49.49%

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

$98.6 TND 294

$261 R 4,336

-62.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,470 TND 7,370

$6,702 R 111.2K

-63.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.94 TND 128

$55.4 R 919

-22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 TND 109

$32.27 R 535

12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 TND 340

$118 R 1,949

-3.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.2 TND 198

$107 R 1,775

-38.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 TND 579

$1,015 R 16.8K

-80.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 TND 404

$715 R 11.9K

-81.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 TND 1,013

$1,801 R 29.9K

-81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 TND 649

$1,330 R 22.1K

-83.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,020 TND 3,043

$2,331 R 38.7K

-56.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$745 TND 2,224

$1,513 R 25.1K

-50.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 TND 976

$1,636 R 27.1K

-80.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.6

10.97

23.97%

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

Last update for Sfax: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sfax

$193 30.7%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 15.1% $29

Accommodation & Living

Sfax

$135 21.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 428% $580

Clothing & Footwear

Sfax

$117 18.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 20.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfax

$69 10.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 170% $117

Eating Out

Sfax

$66 10.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 162% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sfax

$36 5.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 83.3% $30

Getting Around

Sfax

$13 2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 490% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $194 in Sfax versus $1,015 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 400% 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 Sfax versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $222 – making Sfax the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Sfax

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

1 h ahead of Sfax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

955,421

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.98 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sfax Cape Town 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sfax
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

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

Cape Town costs about 153% more than Sfax, 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 $931 per month in Sfax and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sfax, 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 $620 in Sfax and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 153%.

Public transport costs about 511% less in Sfax. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sfax, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sfax 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. Sfax costs $620 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sfax. 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.