Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Khafji

For one person, living is cheaper in Khafji: $675 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Khafji
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Khafji Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Khafji

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $675 in Khafji, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Khafji $675

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,061 in Khafji, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Khafji $1,061

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,447 in Khafji, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Khafji $1,447

Cape Town costs about 135% more than Khafji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Khafji is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.22 SAR 12.09

277.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.71 SAR 130

30.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.00 SAR 18.75

17.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.02 SAR 11.32

-17.22%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.73 SAR 2.73

73.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.19 SAR 0.72

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

$1.80 SAR 6.74

-27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.34 SAR 5.02

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.88 SAR 7.04

18.62%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.13 SAR 7.98

46.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.62 SAR 28.58

18.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.07 SAR 30.30

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.64 SAR 47.42

-26.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.20 SAR 8.26

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.65 SAR 6.18

18.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.59 SAR 5.98

5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.60 SAR 6.00

35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.12 SAR 4.21

40.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.20 SAR 4.49

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.27 SAR 4.78

2.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.57 SAR 2.15

98.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.04 SAR 15.15

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SAR 5.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 SAR 8.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$7.66 SAR 28.75

-53.00%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.64 SAR 9.90

-77.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.64 SAR 9.91

-43.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-61.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.64 SAR 2.41

142.19%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$65.7K SAR 246.6K

-44.90%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.8K SAR 77.9K

50.53%

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

$114 R 1,883

$131 SAR 490

-12.45%

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

$28.91 R 476

$32.18 SAR 121

-10.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$63.0 SAR 236

-36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$13.28 SAR 49.82

-31.10%

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

$259 R 4,264

$133 SAR 500

94.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$4,009 SAR 15.0K

69.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$42.39 SAR 159

32.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$49.33 SAR 185

-34.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$94.5 SAR 355

27.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$91.1 SAR 342

18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$678 SAR 2,544

50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.9

85.93%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Khafji: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Khafji

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Khafji

$201 29.8% 10.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Khafji

$226 33.4% 23.4% $43

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Khafji

$81 12% 54.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Khafji

$125 18.5% 12.6% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Khafji

$16 * 2.4% 78.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Khafji

$27 * 3.9% 60.5% $41

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 $678 in Khafji. 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 $35.00 in Khafji. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $201 – making Khafji the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Khafji

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

67,012

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Khafji 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Khafji

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 Khafji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 135% more than Khafji, 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 $1,013 in Khafji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khafji, 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 $675 in Khafji. That's a gap of about 135%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $133 in Khafji. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khafji, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Khafji 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. Khafji costs $675 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Khafji. 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.