Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharm El Sheikh and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Sharm El Sheikh
Learn more

Sharm El Sheikh Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $455 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $455
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $706 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $706
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $956 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $956
Cape Town $3,263

Sharm El Sheikh is about 71% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sharm El Sheikh sits 66% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 E£1,237

$45.34 R 747

-48.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 E£260

$5.88 R 96.9

-17.18%

Cappuccino

$2.23 E£119

$2.50 R 41.18

-10.80%

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

$0.33 E£17.57

$1.27 R 20.94

-74.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 E£31.40

$0.98 R 16.14

-39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 E£202

$2.99 R 49.33

26.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 E£249

$3.72 R 61.4

25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 E£43.80

$1.30 R 21.40

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.03

$2.23 R 36.76

-79.82%

Eggs

$1.21 E£64.5

$3.11 R 51.2

-61.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 E£200

$6.92 R 114

-45.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 E£82.9

$1.84 R 30.25

-15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.00

$1.96 R 32.29

-77.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.12

$1.67 R 27.45

-73.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.27 E£14.28

$2.17 R 35.70

-87.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 E£116

$3.60 R 59.3

-39.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 E£78.8

$1.38 R 22.66

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 E£5.23

$1.50 R 24.65

-93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£24.81

$1.55 R 25.50

-70.32%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-9.76%

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

$21.8K E£1.2M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-30.25%

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

$114 R 1,883

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

$11.34 E£605

$28.91 R 476

-60.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.77 E£1,483

$39.73 R 654

-30.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 E£19.2K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-64.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 E£15.3K

$717 R 11.8K

-59.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 E£33.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-65.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 E£28.3K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-60.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$948 E£50.6K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-60.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 E£35.5K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-56.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$151 E£8,062

$1,639 R 27.0K

-90.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.5

10.97

141.57%

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

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 150% $430

Eating Out

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 140% $103

Groceries & Markets

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 312% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 368% $144

Getting Around

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 19082% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Cape Town

$143 9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $359 in Sharm El Sheikh 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 985% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $55.0 vs $225 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Sharm El Sheikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,478

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

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 EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sharm El Sheikh Cape Town 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharm El Sheikh
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

Sharm El Sheikh vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 249% more than Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $682 per month in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh, 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 $455 in Sharm El Sheikh and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 249%.

Groceries cost about 312% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $455, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sharm El Sheikh 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. Sharm El Sheikh costs $455 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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.