Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Dhahran

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,317 in Dhahran, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Dhahran $1,317

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,671 in Dhahran, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Dhahran $1,671

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,026 in Dhahran, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Dhahran $2,026

Cape Town costs about 20% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Dhahran is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.30 SAR 19.90

129.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$39.17 SAR 147

15.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.35 SAR 23.81

-7.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.01 SAR 15.03

-37.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.74 SAR 2.76

71.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.19 SAR 0.70

415.79%

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

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.97 SAR 3.62

28.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.97 SAR 7.41

13.20%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-19.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.59 SAR 32.23

5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-36.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-33.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.15 SAR 8.07

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.39 SAR 5.21

41.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.78 SAR 6.69

-6.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.80 SAR 6.74

20.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.50 SAR 5.61

4.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.96 SAR 3.61

54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-34.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.85 SAR 3.19

32.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.57 SAR 20.92

-35.37%

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

$0.83 SAR 3.11

80.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-46.32%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-31.97%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

51.05%

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

$114 R 1,883

$59.0 SAR 221

93.73%

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

$28.91 R 476

$42.19 SAR 158

-31.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$64.9 SAR 244

-38.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$195 SAR 731

-74.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$93.5 SAR 351

-88.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.56 SAR 39.62

-13.35%

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

$259 R 4,264

$65.3 SAR 245

296.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-48.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$50.6 SAR 190

11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$41.79 SAR 157

-22.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$76.9 SAR 289

56.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$90.4 SAR 339

19.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$361 SAR 1,355

182.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$453 SAR 1,700

58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

-41.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.5

143.78%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 36.8% $264

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 2.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 9.2% $17

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 35.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 18.2% $26

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 72% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 221% $149

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $361 in Dhahran. 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 70% higher in Dhahran, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $39.00 in Dhahran. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $231 in Dhahran – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

120,521

💱 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 Dhahran 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 20% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,976 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,317 in Dhahran. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $65.3 in Dhahran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhahran costs $1,317 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Dhahran. 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.