Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Al-Ula

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
57

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

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Al-Ula

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-Ula actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cape Town costs about 34% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.11 SAR 22.91

98.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$36.80 SAR 138

23.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.96 SAR 29.87

-26.13%

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

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.17 SAR 11.89

-21.14%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.86 SAR 3.24

47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.26 SAR 0.98

276.92%

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

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.27 SAR 4.75

-1.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.30 SAR 8.62

-3.04%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.32 SAR 8.72

34.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.39 SAR 27.75

22.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.07 SAR 30.27

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.67 SAR 47.54

-26.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.25 SAR 8.45

-18.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.76 SAR 6.60

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.58 SAR 5.94

5.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.57 SAR 5.89

38.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.23 SAR 4.61

27.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.28 SAR 4.79

15.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.22 SAR 4.58

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.54 SAR 2.02

109.26%

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)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-46.59%

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 4.08

37.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$36.77 SAR 138

65.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-77.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.14 SAR 49.29

-61.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.65 SAR 2.44

138.46%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

-17.76%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

46.69%

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

$114 R 1,883

$106 SAR 397

7.93%

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

$28.91 R 476

$33.21 SAR 125

-12.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$65.8 SAR 247

-39.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$82.4 SAR 309

-40.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-31.36%

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

$259 R 4,264

$425 SAR 1,596

-39.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

-16.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$42.74 SAR 160

31.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$55.4 SAR 208

-41.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$96.2 SAR 361

25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.6 SAR 329

23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$576 SAR 2,162

77.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$372 SAR 1,397

92.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$832 SAR 3,121

119.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$572 SAR 2,147

131.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,323 SAR 8,718

2.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,382 SAR 5,187

11.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

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-Ula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Al-Ula

$372 31.5% 48.1% $345

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Al-Ula

$203 17.1% 9.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Al-Ula

$205 17.3% 12% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Al-Ula

$115 9.7% 34.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Al-Ula

$127 10.7% 11.1% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Al-Ula

$53 4.5% 29.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 62% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $576 in Al-Ula. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $37.00 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $203 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

32,413

💱 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-Ula 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,776 in Al-Ula. 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 $259 per month in Cape Town and $425 in Al-Ula. 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.