Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,360 in Jeddah, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Jeddah $1,360

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,168 in Jeddah, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Jeddah $2,168

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,975 in Jeddah, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Jeddah $2,975

Cape Town costs about 15% more than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Jeddah sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Jeddah by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$6.04 SAR 22.68

95.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$79.8 SAR 300

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.75 SAR 32.85

-31.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.77 SAR 14.16

-34.48%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.97 SAR 3.65

37.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.24 SAR 0.90

329.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.67 SAR 6.28

-16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.33 SAR 4.99

-10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.37 SAR 8.89

-10.97%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.48 SAR 9.31

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$6.36 SAR 23.89

40.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.00 SAR 30.02

-16.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$13.31 SAR 49.98

-30.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.10 SAR 7.90

-12.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.77 SAR 6.63

7.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.54 SAR 5.80

13.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.69 SAR 6.36

23.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.13 SAR 4.26

37.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.29 SAR 4.85

15.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.12 SAR 4.22

16.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.50 SAR 1.87

132.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$6.86 SAR 25.77

-45.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.89 SAR 3.35

69.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$55.5 SAR 208

9.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$3.11 SAR 11.69

-79.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-13.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$14.12 SAR 53.0

-65.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.59 SAR 2.21

167.80%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

-25.52%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

48.23%

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

$116 R 1,920

$90.3 SAR 339

28.85%

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

$28.37 R 468

$39.04 SAR 147

-27.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$67.9 SAR 255

-40.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$79.6 SAR 299

-38.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$38.23 SAR 144

-70.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$12.04 SAR 45.22

-26.66%

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

$261 R 4,314

$757 SAR 2,841

-65.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

-58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$73.8 SAR 277

-24.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$56.0 SAR 210

-42.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$101 SAR 380

16.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$94.3 SAR 354

13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$790 SAR 2,966

28.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$535 SAR 2,009

33.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,418 SAR 5,323

27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$817 SAR 3,070

62.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,777 SAR 6,673

31.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,143 SAR 4,291

32.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$1,646 SAR 6,180

-0.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.39

103.53%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Jeddah

$535 38.8% 25.2% $180

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 9.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 6.4% $12

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Jeddah

$125 9% 28.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Jeddah

$146 10.6% 4.2% $5.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 5.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Jeddah

$104 7.5% 55.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $790 in Jeddah. 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 1% higher in Jeddah, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $201 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,430,697

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Jeddah 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 15% more than Jeddah, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,040 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,360 in Jeddah. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Jeddah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jeddah, where all-in costs run around $1,360, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Jeddah 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. Jeddah costs $1,360 versus $1,568 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 Jeddah. 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.