Cost of Living · ZA vs SA
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 24.07% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 7.4%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 7.41%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 7.43%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +28.36%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +28.36%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +28.36%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +28.36% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +28.36% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +28.36% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +21.65% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +21.68% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +19.48% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +14.55% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +15% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +15.29% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +15.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +15% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +15.42% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +15.36% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +15% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +21.65% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +7.43% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +21.24% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +15.65% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +19.52% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +18.97% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +21.43% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +21.74% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | +7.46% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $100 (377 SAR) | +19.52% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +19.52% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +19.52% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +21.65% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +21.71% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +21.73% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +7.41% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +7.4% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $117 (439 SAR) | +21.67% |
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 Saudi Arabia than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $833 in South Africa — 24.07% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Saudi Arabia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.81 in Saudi Arabia (≈ 10.54 SAR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $520/month in South Africa (+28.36%). 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.