Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,165 in Stellenbosch, 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 Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Stellenbosch vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,165
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,913
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,660 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Stellenbosch $2,660
Cairo $1,423

Stellenbosch costs about 80% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 R 120

$4.64 E£248

57.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 R 590

$28.12 E£1,501

27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 R 77.8

$6.03 E£322

-21.72%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.74

$1.72 E£92.1

19.19%

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

$1.00 R 16.52

$0.36 E£19.38

177.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.67

$0.12 E£6.41

541.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 44.51

$1.51 E£80.4

78.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R 50.7

$2.32 E£124

32.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.16

$0.92 E£48.92

45.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.73 E£38.92

56.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.68

$0.74 E£39.64

151.35%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.86

$1.19 E£63.7

138.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$4.33 E£231

99.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 R 95.6

$5.03 E£269

15.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 R 124

$9.28 E£496

-19.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.67

$1.77 E£94.4

-1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$0.73 E£39.03

101.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.78

$0.55 E£29.51

207.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.17

$0.50 E£26.91

218.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$0.42 E£22.42

159.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.17

$0.41 E£21.81

273.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$0.33 E£17.51

293.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.36

$0.21 E£11.20

457.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.1

$1.98 E£106

77.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$7.81 E£417

-21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.93

$1.59 E£84.7

-16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.91

$2.09 E£112

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 R 10.10

$0.39 E£21.02

56.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 R 25.56

$0.22 E£11.57

604.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 R 82.7

$1.51 E£80.5

232.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.05

$0.43 E£22.88

225.58%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$32.7K E£1.7M

7.13%

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

$31.0K R 510.9K

$27.2K E£1.5M

13.88%

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

$103 R 1,691

$27.27 E£1,456

276.35%

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

$28.53 R 470

$8.58 E£458

232.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 R 565

$13.99 E£747

145.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R 482

$29.69 E£1,585

-1.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 R 277

$7.25 E£387

131.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$4.86 E£260

82.92%

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

$264 R 4,351

$121 E£6,438

119.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,389 R 39.4K

$3,560 E£190.1K

-32.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$40.28 E£2,151

29.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 R 473

$49.53 E£2,645

-42.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,951

$115 E£6,137

3.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,486

$60.0 E£3,206

50.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$222 E£11.9K

214.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 R 8,038

$195 E£10.4K

150.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 R 23.8K

$550 E£29.3K

162.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 R 19.0K

$346 E£18.5K

233.76%

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)

$2,556 R 42.1K

$200 E£10.7K

1179.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

16.21

-33.99%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 60% $293

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 29.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 69.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 8.5% $11

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 27.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 16.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 38.4% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Stellenbosch 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 1180% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $36.00 in Stellenbosch 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

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h ahead of Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

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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Between locations

Stellenbosch Cairo 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

Stellenbosch vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stellenbosch is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,748 per month in Stellenbosch 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,165 in Stellenbosch and $647 in Cairo. That's a gap of about 80%.

Kindergarten costs $264 per month in Stellenbosch and $121 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Stellenbosch at $1,165. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stellenbosch 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.

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