Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

Cape Town $1,586
Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

Cape Town $2,425
Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

Cape Town $3,263
Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Cape Town is roughly 37% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Ar-rass is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.16 SAR 23.12

97.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.47 SAR 141

21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.90 SAR 29.65

-25.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.25 SAR 12.18

-23.08%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.91 SAR 3.41

39.56%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-28.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.39 SAR 1.45

220.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.92 SAR 7.19

16.15%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.60 SAR 13.52

-13.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.00 SAR 26.28

29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.05 SAR 30.20

-14.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.79 SAR 47.99

-27.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.24 SAR 8.41

-17.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.76 SAR 6.60

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.57 SAR 5.91

6.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.57 SAR 5.89

38.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.16 SAR 4.37

35.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.36 SAR 5.11

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.28 SAR 4.79

1.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.57 SAR 2.14

98.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$7.53 SAR 28.27

-52.19%

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

$0.98 SAR 3.69

53.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$34.39 SAR 129

76.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.59 SAR 9.72

-77.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-19.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$11.84 SAR 44.42

-56.84%

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

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

-16.00%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

49.84%

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

$114 R 1,883

$110 SAR 414

3.67%

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

$28.91 R 476

$23.87 SAR 89.6

21.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$59.0 SAR 221

-32.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$44.88 SAR 168

9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$13.43 SAR 50.4

-31.87%

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

$259 R 4,264

$425 SAR 1,595

-39.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

-21.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$42.84 SAR 161

31.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$62.4 SAR 234

-48.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$96.1 SAR 360

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.6 SAR 329

23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$579 SAR 2,174

76.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$394 SAR 1,480

81.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$388 SAR 1,456

370.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$563 SAR 2,111

135.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,625 SAR 9,851

-8.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,188 SAR 4,460

29.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,765 SAR 6,622

-7.15%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ar-rass

$394 34.2% 45% $323

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ar-rass

$198 17.1% 12.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ar-rass

$193 16.7% 5.5% $10

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ar-rass

$117 10.1% 33.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ar-rass

$130 11.3% 9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ar-rass

$50 4.4% 32.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ar-rass

$72 6.2% 6.6% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $37.00 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $198 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

121,359

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ar-rass 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Ar-rass differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,586 vs $1,154 including rent). Ar-rass is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Ar-rass. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $259 in Cape Town versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.