Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
Learn more

Qatif Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,102 in Qatif, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Qatif $1,102

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,642 in Qatif, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Qatif $1,642

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,183 in Qatif, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Qatif $2,183

Cape Town costs about 44% more than Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Qatif is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.48 SAR 13.07

248.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.45 SAR 129

31.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.59 SAR 24.75

-10.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.15 SAR 11.81

-20.63%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.78 SAR 2.92

62.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.20 SAR 0.76

390.00%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.78

-28.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.97 SAR 3.63

28.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.86 SAR 6.96

19.89%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.12 SAR 7.94

46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.96 SAR 22.35

52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.77 SAR 29.16

-10.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.73 SAR 47.77

-26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.20 SAR 8.25

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.70 SAR 6.36

15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.58 SAR 5.94

5.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.69 SAR 2.59

214.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.12 SAR 4.19

40.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.15 SAR 4.32

28.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.97 SAR 3.66

34.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.55 SAR 2.06

105.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.71 SAR 10.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SAR 5.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.24 SAR 23.42

-42.31%

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

$1.10 SAR 4.13

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$36.81 SAR 138

65.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.42 SAR 9.09

-75.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.55 SAR 2.07

172.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.11 SAR 49.19

-61.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.62 SAR 2.34

150.00%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.9K SAR 134.6K

0.94%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.7K SAR 77.8K

50.67%

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

$114 R 1,883

$107 SAR 400

7.16%

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

$28.91 R 476

$32.52 SAR 122

-11.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$58.1 SAR 218

-31.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$81.9 SAR 307

-40.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$21.75 SAR 81.6

-49.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-31.36%

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

$259 R 4,264

$268 SAR 1,005

-3.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,092 SAR 30.4K

-16.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$31.99 SAR 120

75.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$21.32 SAR 80.0

52.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$96.9 SAR 364

24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$90.0 SAR 338

20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$575 SAR 2,159

77.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$367 SAR 1,375

95.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$832 SAR 3,121

119.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$573 SAR 2,151

131.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$976 SAR 3,663

144.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$790 SAR 2,963

95.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,275 SAR 8,537

-27.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.5

99.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Qatif: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Qatif

$367 33.3% 48.9% $350

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Qatif

$186 16.9% 17.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Qatif

$197 17.9% 7.8% $14

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Qatif

$89 8.1% 49.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Qatif

$108 9.8% 24.3% $35

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Qatif

$46 4.2% 38% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Qatif

$109 9.9% 61.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $575 in Qatif. 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 39% higher in Qatif, 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 $34.00 in Qatif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $186 – making Qatif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

87,332

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Qatif 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 44% more than Qatif, 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 $1,653 in Qatif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qatif, 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 $1,102 in Qatif. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Qatif. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Qatif, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Qatif 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. Qatif costs $1,102 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 Qatif. 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.