Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,184
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Al-Ula vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,757
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Al-Ula vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Al-Ula $2,330
Cape Town $3,263

Al-Ula is about 25% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Al-Ula sits 12% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$12.14 R 200

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$45.34 R 747

-18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$5.88 R 96.9

35.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$2.50 R 41.18

26.80%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.27 R 20.94

-32.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.98 R 16.14

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.30 R 21.40

33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.25 R 20.68

1.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.23 R 36.76

3.14%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$3.11 R 51.2

-25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$9.06 R 149

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$6.92 R 114

16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$9.30 R 153

36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$1.84 R 30.25

22.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.96 R 32.29

-10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.67 R 27.45

-5.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$2.17 R 35.70

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.57 R 25.81

-21.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.48 R 24.45

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.30 R 21.41

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$1.13 R 18.60

-52.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$3.60 R 59.3

87.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$1.50 R 24.65

-27.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$60.8 R 1,001

-39.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$0.59 R 9.71

342.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$1.50 R 24.65

23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$5.11 R 84.2

157.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.55 R 25.50

-58.06%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$36.2K R 596.5K

21.60%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-31.83%

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

$106 SAR 397

$114 R 1,883

-7.35%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$28.91 R 476

14.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$39.73 R 654

65.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$49.01 R 808

68.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$9.15 R 151

45.68%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$259 R 4,264

64.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$6,794 R 111.9K

19.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$56.2 R 926

-23.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$32.41 R 534

70.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$121 R 1,987

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$108 R 1,781

-18.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$1,021 R 16.8K

-43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$717 R 11.8K

-48.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$1,824 R 30.1K

-54.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$1,327 R 21.9K

-56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$2,391 R 39.4K

-2.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$1,542 R 25.4K

-10.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

10.97

-49.50%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$372 31.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 92.6% $345

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 10.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 11% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 12.5% $16

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 52.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 38.3% $42

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 41.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $576 in Al-Ula versus $1,021 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Al-Ula versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $225 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

12:44 12:44 PM

1 h behind Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al-Ula Cape Town 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-Ula
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

Al-Ula vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Al-Ula and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $425 per month in Al-Ula and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,184 in Al-Ula to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-Ula. 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.