Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $483 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
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Egypt Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,209 in South Africa versus $483 in Egypt.

South Africa $1,209
Egypt $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,900 in South Africa versus $785 in Egypt.

South Africa $1,900
Egypt $785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,590 in South Africa versus $1,088 in Egypt.

South Africa $2,590
Egypt $1,088

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $625 to $1,586, compared to $316–$728 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in South Africa is roughly 150% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 10% lower, Egypt 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 R 180

$3.69 E£197

196.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

$18.73 E£1,000

129.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

$4.72 E£252

22.03%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.20

$1.53 E£81.5

55.56%

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

$1.16 R 19.15

$0.35 E£18.95

231.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.33

$0.14 E£7.69

521.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.21

$1.46 E£78.0

67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R 49.14

$2.88 E£154

3.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.38

$0.85 E£45.14

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.30

$0.72 E£38.42

54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$0.65 E£34.58

167.69%

Eggs

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.26 E£67.3

97.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 R 140

$3.50 E£187

142.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 R 85.0

$4.26 E£228

21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$8.73 E£466

-14.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.00

$1.53 E£82.0

22.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$0.68 E£36.11

147.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$0.48 E£25.45

270.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.21

$0.41 E£21.92

346.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.51

$0.35 E£18.89

325.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.77

$0.38 E£20.24

294.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.99

$0.28 E£14.74

353.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.09

$0.20 E£10.61

450.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$1.95 E£104

67.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 82.9

$6.71 E£358

-25.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.10

$1.32 E£70.3

15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.16

$2.11 E£113

-7.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.27 E£14.27

485.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 R 1,011

$8.02 E£428

665.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.34

$0.39 E£21.07

184.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

$0.29 E£15.55

227.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 123

$1.93 E£103

286.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 23.98

$0.42 E£22.45

247.62%

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

$35.4K R 583.7K

$32.5K E£1.7M

8.97%

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

$30.9K R 509.0K

$26.3K E£1.4M

17.61%

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

$134 R 2,201

$21.49 E£1,148

521.54%

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

$34.44 R 567

$7.27 E£388

373.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 R 665

$13.17 E£703

206.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

$18.32 E£978

86.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

$6.59 E£352

75.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$3.04 E£162

135.86%

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

$227 R 3,746

$102 E£5,448

122.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

$2,562 E£136.8K

114.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$26.81 E£1,431

100.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 R 554

$43.03 E£2,298

-21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 R 1,645

$113 E£6,020

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,440

$50.1 E£2,676

74.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,943

$153 E£8,149

215.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,568

$97.2 E£5,193

309.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$298 E£15.9K

213.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$191 E£10.2K

327.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,096 R 18.1K

$717 E£38.3K

52.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$439 E£23.5K

78.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,515 R 25.0K

$146 E£7,821

934.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

17.11

-34.37%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$399 33%

Egypt

$97 20.1% 75.6% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$208 17.2%

Egypt

$42 8.7% 79.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.3%

Egypt

$127 26.2% 35.7% $70

Eating Out

South Africa

$160 13.2%

Egypt

$77 16% 51.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.2%

Egypt

$105 21.7% 15.3% $19

Getting Around

South Africa

$74 6.1%

Egypt

$11 2.3% 85.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$48 4%

Egypt

$24 5.1% 49.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $421 in South Africa, $140 in Egypt. Capital cities: $1,021 in Cape Town vs $222 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $1,487 in South Africa, $138 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 201% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 124% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 467% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 978% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

114,535,772

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

South Africa Egypt 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Egypt

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

South Africa vs Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $483 per month in Egypt and $1,209 in South Africa, there's a 150% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $421 in South Africa and $140 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Egypt wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.