Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,364 in Medina, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Medina $1,364

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,816 in Medina, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Medina $1,816

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,268 in Medina, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Medina $2,268

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$5.53 SAR 20.75

113.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$32.09 SAR 120

45.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$8.20 SAR 30.78

-27.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.70 SAR 10.15

-8.52%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.76 SAR 2.84

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.25 SAR 0.95

312.00%

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

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.92 SAR 3.44

29.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-9.05%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.09 SAR 7.84

44.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$5.44 SAR 20.44

64.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$7.03 SAR 26.39

-5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$12.49 SAR 46.90

-25.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.42 SAR 9.10

-24.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-4.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.29 SAR 8.60

-23.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.55 SAR 5.83

34.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.36 SAR 5.12

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.37 SAR 5.14

8.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.93 SAR 3.49

39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.71 SAR 2.68

63.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$7.54 SAR 28.32

-50.80%

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

$1.05 SAR 3.94

43.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$36.80 SAR 138

65.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-53.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$5.71 SAR 21.44

-15.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.64 SAR 2.41

146.88%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-15.09%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

53.74%

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

$116 R 1,920

$149 SAR 558

-21.70%

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

$28.37 R 468

$27.41 SAR 103

3.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$90.7 SAR 341

-55.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$78.9 SAR 296

-38.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$9.01 SAR 33.83

23.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-34.64%

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

$261 R 4,314

$294 SAR 1,103

-11.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

22.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$36.85 SAR 138

50.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$54.4 SAR 204

-40.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$67.0 SAR 252

75.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$70.0 SAR 263

52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$570 SAR 2,139

78.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$529 SAR 1,988

35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$779 SAR 2,926

131.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$573 SAR 2,151

132.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$2,309 SAR 8,670

0.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,356 SAR 5,091

11.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$1,244 SAR 4,671

31.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.17

163.07%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Medina

$529 39.2% 26% $186

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Medina

$191 14.1% 14.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Medina

$267 19.7% 43.8% $81

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Medina

$105 7.8% 39.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Medina

$103 7.6% 26.9% $38

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Medina

$51 3.8% 32.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Medina

$106 7.8% 59.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $570 in Medina. 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 32% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $32.00 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $191 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,100,093

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.238 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Medina 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 15% more than Medina, 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 $2,047 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, 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 $1,364 in Medina. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Medina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,364, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Medina 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. Medina costs $1,364 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 Medina. 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.