Cost of Living · EG vs ZA
🇪🇬 Cairo vs 🇿🇦 Cape Town: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $252 in Egypt vs $833 in South Africa — 230.92% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Africa
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 48.89%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 49.47%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 49.73%
Closest to Egypt prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +311.13%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +311.13%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +311.12%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Egypt | South Africa | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $126 | $520 (9,293 ZAR) | +311.13% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $101 | $416 (7,435 ZAR) | +311.12% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $231 | $950 (16,994 ZAR) | +311.13% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.28 | $6.93 (124 ZAR) | +203.95% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $9.51 | $28.88 (517 ZAR) | +203.68% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $1.68 | $4.62 (83 ZAR) | +175% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.24 | $0.55 (10 ZAR) | +129.17% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $0.71 | $1.60 (29 ZAR) | +125.35% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $0.76 | $1.70 (30 ZAR) | +123.68% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $2.23 | $5.00 (89 ZAR) | +124.22% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $0.89 | $2.00 (36 ZAR) | +124.72% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.07 | $2.40 (43 ZAR) | +124.3% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $2.67 | $5.99 (107 ZAR) | +124.34% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.45 | $1.00 (18 ZAR) | +122.22% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $0.76 | $2.31 (41 ZAR) | +203.95% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $3.78 | $5.65 (101 ZAR) | +49.47% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $0.63 | $1.93 (35 ZAR) | +206.35% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.51 | $1.15 (21 ZAR) | +125.49% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $9.95 | $27.30 (488 ZAR) | +174.37% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.42 | $1.16 (21 ZAR) | +176.19% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $0.51 | $1.54 (28 ZAR) | +201.96% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.23 | $0.69 (12 ZAR) | +200% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.45 | $0.67 (12 ZAR) | +48.89% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $30.60 | $84.00 (1,503 ZAR) | +174.51% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $10.71 | $29.40 (526 ZAR) | +174.51% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $6.89 | $18.90 (338 ZAR) | +174.31% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $6.34 | $19.26 (345 ZAR) | +203.79% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $1.78 | $5.39 (96 ZAR) | +202.81% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $3.80 | $11.55 (207 ZAR) | +203.95% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $25.96 | $38.87 (695 ZAR) | +49.73% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $42.47 | $63.61 (1,138 ZAR) | +49.78% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $31.70 | $96.28 (1,722 ZAR) | +203.72% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is South Africa than Egypt?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $833 in South Africa versus $252 in Egypt — 230.92% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Africa?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.31 in South Africa (≈ 41.32 ZAR), versus about $0.76 in Egypt.
- How much is rent in South Africa compared to Egypt?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $520/month in South Africa versus $126/month in Egypt (+311.13%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.