Egypt or South Africa
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Egypt | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | — | no |
| Parents | — | difficult |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | — | 14 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 291 · estimate | $ 633 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 13,6 | $ 26,0 |
| Life expectancy | 71.81 | 66.31 |
| Homicides/100k | 1.31 | 39.72 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 6.2 | 3.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Egypt — 3, South Africa — 24. Types present in both: work. South Africa adds: study, family, investment, talent and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Egypt: fees range from 30 to 65 USD. South Africa: fees range from 425 to 1,520 ZAR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 8,500 ZAR a month.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Egypt with no residence period, South Africa after 5 years. Citizenship: both after 10 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
Egypt in brief
Egypt is the most populous Arab country (around 107 million people in 2024 according to CAPMAS), with several parallel formal residence statuses for foreigners: employment residence through a Ministry of Manpower permit, student residence, citizenship in exchange for investment, and a residence permit for property ownership (a programme in place since the early 2020s). Naturalisation by investment requires no minimum period of prior residence: the decision is made by the prime minister on the recommendation of the specialised unit at the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in exchange for an investment project, a property purchase or a foreign-currency deposit. Standard naturalisation on general grounds takes 10 years of residence and requires command of Arabic; dual citizenship is generally allowed with the authorities' permission. The cost of living is markedly lower than in Europe. Rule-of-law and control-of-corruption scores under the World Bank's methodology (WGI) are negative. Of the country's five largest and most tourism-significant cities, two — Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh — are entirely oriented toward Red Sea tourism and have historically been sensitive to fluctuations in international air links.
South Africa in brief
South Africa builds its intake around scarce occupations: the Critical Skills Work Visa is issued for up to 5 years, but the occupation must be on the current list and the qualification must be assessed by SAQA with an NQF level stated. The constraints are the time limits and family: the processing standard for a spousal visa is 120 working days, work on it without a separate permit is not allowed, and citizenship comes after 10 years.
Other comparisons
Egypt or… Nigeria · Rwanda · Tunisia · Algeria · Tanzania · Kenya · Angola · Gabon
South Africa or… Madagascar · Sierra Leone · Uganda · Zambia · Eswatini · Lesotho · Mozambique · Republic of the Congo
More on each: Egypt · South Africa. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.