Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,162 in Somerset West, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerset West 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 Somerset West and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,162 per month in Somerset West vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Somerset West $1,162
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,890 per month in Somerset West vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Somerset West $1,890
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,618 per month in Somerset West vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Somerset West $2,618
Cairo $1,423

Somerset West costs about 80% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Somerset West and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Somerset West 14% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 R 195

$4.64 E£248

155.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 R 757

$28.12 E£1,501

63.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 R 89.3

$6.03 E£322

-10.12%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.82

$1.72 E£92.1

26.16%

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

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.36 E£19.38

186.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.02

$0.12 E£6.41

658.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R 41.47

$1.51 E£80.4

66.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 R 54.6

$2.32 E£124

43.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.56

$0.92 E£48.92

2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.43

$0.73 E£38.92

36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.91

$0.74 E£39.64

178.38%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.42

$1.19 E£63.7

90.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 142

$4.33 E£231

99.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R 86.6

$5.03 E£269

4.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 R 157

$9.28 E£496

2.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.28

$1.77 E£94.4

3.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.24

$0.73 E£39.03

160.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.83

$0.55 E£29.51

207.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.62

$0.50 E£26.91

248.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$0.42 E£22.42

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$0.41 E£21.81

275.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.21

$0.33 E£17.51

290.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.92

$0.21 E£11.20

419.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R 54.0

$1.98 E£106

65.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 R 98.5

$7.81 E£417

-23.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.59 E£84.7

-15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.95

$2.09 E£112

-15.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R 18.52

$0.35 E£18.83

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 R 979

$8.69 E£464

584.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.56

$0.39 E£21.02

48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.35

$0.22 E£11.57

572.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 R 83.7

$1.51 E£80.5

236.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.49

$0.43 E£22.88

232.56%

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

$28.8K R 474.1K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-11.99%

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

$30.0K R 494.4K

$27.2K E£1.5M

10.22%

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

$85.2 R 1,404

$27.27 E£1,456

212.39%

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

$28.77 R 474

$8.58 E£458

235.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.92 R 674

$13.99 E£747

192.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.25 R 745

$29.69 E£1,585

52.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.76 R 177

$7.25 E£387

48.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 118

$4.86 E£260

47.94%

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

$261 R 4,308

$121 E£6,438

116.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,633 R 59.9K

$3,560 E£190.1K

2.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.84 R 508

$40.28 E£2,151

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.76 R 523

$49.53 E£2,645

-35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 R 1,161

$115 E£6,137

-38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 R 930

$60.0 E£3,206

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 R 10.5K

$222 E£11.9K

186.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 R 6,997

$195 E£10.4K

117.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 R 22.4K

$550 E£29.3K

147.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$346 E£18.5K

170.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,227 R 20.2K

$800 E£42.7K

53.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$907 R 14.9K

$525 E£28.0K

72.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 R 23.5K

$200 E£10.7K

614.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

16.21

-37.57%

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

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset West

$425 36.5%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 54.1% $230

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$202 17.4%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 29.7% $60

Eating Out

Somerset West

$164 14.1%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 45.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$155 13.3%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 67.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$85 7.3%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 39.7% $34

Getting Around

Somerset West

$72 6.2%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 83.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$60 5.1%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 33.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $637 in Somerset West 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 615% higher in Somerset West, 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 $46.00 in Somerset West versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

1 h ahead of Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

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 →

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Somerset West Cairo 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Somerset West is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,743 per month in Somerset West 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 42% more in Somerset West, 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 $46.00 in Somerset West and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Somerset West at $1,162. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Somerset West it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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