Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha'il: $1,040 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ha'il

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,040 in Ha'il, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ha'il $1,040

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,589 in Ha'il, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ha'il $1,589

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,139 in Ha'il, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ha'il $2,139

Cape Town costs about 53% more than Ha'il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ha'il is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.47 SAR 20.52

121.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.36 SAR 140

21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.88 SAR 22.05

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SAR 8.73

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-3.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.61 SAR 2.29

108.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.24 SAR 0.90

308.33%

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

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-24.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.84 SAR 3.17

48.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.83 SAR 6.87

21.86%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.88 SAR 7.05

65.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$6.81 SAR 25.56

33.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.52 SAR 31.96

-18.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.55 SAR 32.10

8.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.57 SAR 5.88

17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.58 SAR 5.91

24.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.31 SAR 4.90

27.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.03 SAR 7.61

6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.32 SAR 4.95

18.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.62 SAR 6.06

-8.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.23 SAR 4.60

5.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.49 SAR 1.83

130.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.02 SAR 11.35

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SAR 7.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.73 SAR 25.25

-46.51%

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

$1.05 SAR 3.93

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$36.18 SAR 136

67.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-77.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.88 SAR 7.06

-20.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.58 SAR 50.9

-62.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.61 SAR 2.27

154.10%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$44.7K SAR 167.8K

-19.05%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

44.74%

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

$114 R 1,883

$52.7 SAR 198

117.13%

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

$28.91 R 476

$21.32 SAR 80.0

35.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$47.59 SAR 179

-16.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$67.4 SAR 253

-27.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$26.99 SAR 101

-59.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$14.85 SAR 55.7

-38.38%

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

$259 R 4,264

$414 SAR 1,554

-37.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,887 SAR 29.6K

-13.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$43.06 SAR 162

30.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$54.6 SAR 205

-40.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$96.6 SAR 363

24.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$87.9 SAR 330

22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$245 SAR 918

317.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$366 SAR 1,373

95.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$362 SAR 1,359

403.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$566 SAR 2,123

134.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,369 SAR 8,890

0.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,359 SAR 5,099

13.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,087 SAR 4,080

50.73%

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 Ha'il: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ha'il

$366 35.2% 49% $351

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ha'il

$180 17.3% 20.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ha'il

$122 11.7% 33.6% $61

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ha'il

$96 9.2% 45.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ha'il

$127 12.2% 11.1% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ha'il

$52 5.1% 29.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ha'il

$97 9.3% 44.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $245 in Ha'il. 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 51% 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 Ha'il. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $180 – making Ha'il the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

310,897

💱 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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Between locations

Cape Town Ha'il 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 53% more than Ha'il, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,560 in Ha'il. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha'il, 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 $1,040 in Ha'il. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Ha'il. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha'il, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ha'il 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. Ha'il costs $1,040 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 Ha'il. 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.