Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al Mubarraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mubarraz: $1,270 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Al Mubarraz
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Al Mubarraz Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Al Mubarraz

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Al Mubarraz

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Al Mubarraz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,270 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Al Mubarraz $1,270

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,895 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Al Mubarraz $1,895

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,520 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Al Mubarraz $2,520

Cape Town costs about 25% more than Al Mubarraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Al Mubarraz is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$7.30 SAR 27.37

66.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.10 SAR 139

22.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.83 SAR 29.39

-24.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 SAR 7.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.27 SAR 16.02

-41.45%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.70 SAR 2.64

81.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.28 SAR 1.06

250.00%

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)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.25 SAR 4.71

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.45 SAR 9.20

-8.98%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.12 SAR 11.69

-0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.53 SAR 39.51

-13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.70 SAR 36.40

-28.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.83 SAR 55.6

-37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.92 SAR 10.97

-36.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-1.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.45 SAR 9.19

-31.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.72 SAR 6.46

26.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.18 SAR 4.41

33.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.27 SAR 4.77

16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.71 SAR 6.40

-23.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.58 SAR 2.19

94.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.73

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SAR 8.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$7.56 SAR 28.35

-52.38%

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)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.09 SAR 4.10

37.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$36.60 SAR 137

65.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.28 SAR 12.29

-82.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.86 SAR 6.98

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.09 SAR 49.11

-60.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.64 SAR 2.40

142.19%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.3K SAR 132.5K

2.54%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$22.9K SAR 85.9K

36.50%

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

$114 R 1,883

$109 SAR 410

4.67%

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

$28.91 R 476

$30.08 SAR 113

-3.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$73.1 SAR 274

-45.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$82.5 SAR 310

-40.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$13.52 SAR 50.7

-32.32%

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

$259 R 4,264

$542 SAR 2,032

-52.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-32.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$58.5 SAR 220

-3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$54.3 SAR 204

-40.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$105 SAR 392

15.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$105 SAR 393

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$580 SAR 2,178

75.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$371 SAR 1,391

93.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$830 SAR 3,115

119.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$571 SAR 2,143

132.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,398 SAR 8,998

-0.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,362 SAR 5,109

13.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,089 SAR 4,086

50.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.54

98.01%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Mubarraz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Al Mubarraz

$371 29.2% 48.3% $346

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Al Mubarraz

$242 19.1% 7.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Al Mubarraz

$212 16.7% 16.1% $29

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Al Mubarraz

$137 10.8% 22.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Al Mubarraz

$145 11.4% 1.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Al Mubarraz

$54 4.2% 28.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al Mubarraz

$110 8.6% 62.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $580 in Al Mubarraz. 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 50% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $37.00 in Al Mubarraz. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $242 in Al Mubarraz – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Al Mubarraz

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

290,802

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Al Mubarraz 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al Mubarraz

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $1,270 in Al Mubarraz – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,905 in Al Mubarraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $542 in Al Mubarraz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Mubarraz, where all-in costs run around $1,270, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Al Mubarraz 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 $1,270 in Al Mubarraz 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 Mubarraz. 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.