Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tunis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $859 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tunis
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Tunis Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Tunis

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$859

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Tunis vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Tunis $859
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,293 per month in Tunis vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Tunis $1,293
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,728 per month in Tunis vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Tunis $1,728
Cape Town $3,307

Tunis is about 45% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tunis sits 36% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 TND 11.77

$11.78 R 195

-66.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.82 TND 68.1

$46.55 R 772

-50.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 TND 17.49

$5.96 R 98.9

-1.68%

Cappuccino

$1.17 TND 3.49

$2.47 R 41.01

-52.63%

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

$0.79 TND 2.36

$1.33 R 22.03

-40.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 TND 1.13

$1.03 R 17.08

-63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 TND 5.13

$3.01 R 49.98

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 TND 8.15

$3.66 R 60.8

-25.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 TND 1.46

$1.39 R 23.08

-64.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 TND 1.18

$1.19 R 19.70

-67.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 TND 5.06

$2.11 R 35.02

-19.43%

Eggs

$1.84 TND 5.49

$3.01 R 49.84

-38.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 TND 29.97

$8.96 R 149

12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 TND 17.85

$6.65 R 110

-10.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 TND 52.3

$9.29 R 154

88.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 TND 6.38

$1.83 R 30.28

16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$5.88 TND 17.56

$1.90 R 31.47

209.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 TND 3.32

$1.75 R 28.98

-36.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 TND 2.40

$2.09 R 34.59

-61.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 TND 2.44

$1.55 R 25.78

-47.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.95

$1.49 R 24.65

-56.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 TND 1.49

$1.30 R 21.53

-61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 TND 1.02

$1.16 R 19.29

-70.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 TND 11.30

$3.71 R 61.5

2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 TND 19.46

$6.06 R 101

7.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 TND 3.83

$1.39 R 22.97

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 TND 4.70

$2.20 R 36.51

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 TND 1.02

$1.51 R 25.11

-77.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.93 TND 50.5

$61.0 R 1,011

-72.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.32 TND 0.97

$0.63 R 10.38

-49.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.91

$1.53 R 25.42

-79.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 TND 5.52

$4.81 R 79.8

-61.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 TND 2.62

$1.58 R 26.22

-44.30%

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

$39.6K TND 118.0K

$35.5K R 588.7K

11.43%

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

$36.0K TND 107.5K

$31.7K R 526.6K

13.44%

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

$61.2 TND 183

$116 R 1,930

-47.39%

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

$8.82 TND 26.31

$28.37 R 471

-68.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.50 TND 61.2

$40.69 R 675

-49.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.96 TND 104

$48.85 R 810

-28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.54 TND 37.42

$11.13 R 185

12.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 TND 17.88

$8.83 R 146

-32.16%

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

$102 TND 305

$261 R 4,336

-60.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,211 TND 9,582

$6,702 R 111.2K

-52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.37 TND 129

$55.4 R 919

-21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 TND 178

$32.27 R 535

85.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 TND 304

$118 R 1,949

-13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 TND 258

$107 R 1,775

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 TND 1,158

$1,015 R 16.8K

-61.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 TND 756

$715 R 11.9K

-64.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 TND 1,925

$1,801 R 29.9K

-64.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 TND 1,166

$1,330 R 22.1K

-70.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,467 TND 4,377

$2,331 R 38.7K

-37.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 TND 2,317

$1,513 R 25.1K

-48.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 TND 1,040

$1,636 R 27.1K

-78.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

10.97

-6.29%

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

Last update for Tunis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tunis

$253 29.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 182% $462

Groceries & Markets

Tunis

$222 26.3%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Tunis

$131 15.5%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 7.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tunis

$91 10.7%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 105% $95

Eating Out

Tunis

$82 9.7%

Cape Town

$174 11% 112% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Tunis

$47 5.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 41.7% $20

Getting Around

Tunis

$20 2.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 274% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $388 in Tunis 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 369% 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 Tunis versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $222 – making Tunis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Tunis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

1 h ahead of Tunis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

728,453 Capital

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

Tunis Cape Town 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tunis
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

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

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Tunis, 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 $1,288 per month in Tunis 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 Tunis, 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 $859 in Tunis and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 83%.

Public transport costs about 260% less in Tunis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tunis, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Tunis 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. Tunis costs $859 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 Tunis. 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.