Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jubail and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,093 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,093

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jubail and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,093 per month in Jubail vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jubail $1,093
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,699 per month in Jubail vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jubail $1,699
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Jubail vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jubail $2,305
Cape Town $3,307

Jubail is about 30% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.72 SAR 25.22

$11.78 R 194

-42.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 SAR 151

$46.55 R 768

-13.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 SAR 34.93

$5.96 R 98.4

56.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SAR 8.78

Cappuccino

$4.03 SAR 15.14

$2.47 R 40.80

63.16%

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

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$1.33 R 21.91

-26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$1.03 R 16.99

-74.76%

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)

$1.52 SAR 5.70

$1.39 R 22.96

9.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 SAR 5.25

$1.19 R 19.60

17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.98

$2.11 R 34.84

-24.64%

Eggs

$2.06 SAR 7.75

$3.01 R 49.58

-31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 SAR 37.17

$8.96 R 148

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 SAR 24.22

$6.65 R 110

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 SAR 44.07

$9.29 R 153

26.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.83 R 30.13

18.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.55

$1.90 R 31.31

-8.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.62

$1.75 R 28.83

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.26

$2.09 R 34.41

-20.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.86

$1.55 R 25.64

-16.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.49 R 24.53

-10.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.30 R 21.41

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.06

$1.16 R 19.19

-52.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.72

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 SAR 8.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 SAR 24.45

$3.71 R 61.2

75.47%

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)

$1.30 SAR 4.88

$1.51 R 24.98

-13.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.68 SAR 88.9

$61.0 R 1,006

-61.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 SAR 12.58

$0.63 R 10.33

431.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 SAR 9.86

$1.53 R 25.29

71.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.42 SAR 50.4

$4.81 R 79.4

179.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$1.58 R 26.08

-59.49%

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

$44.8K SAR 168.2K

$35.5K R 585.7K

26.21%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$31.7K R 523.8K

-32.96%

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

$80.7 SAR 303

$116 R 1,920

-30.63%

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

$27.59 SAR 104

$28.37 R 468

-2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.5 SAR 250

$40.69 R 671

63.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 SAR 386

$48.85 R 806

110.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.07 SAR 150

$11.13 R 184

260.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 SAR 50.4

$8.83 R 146

51.98%

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

$181 SAR 681

$261 R 4,314

-30.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,911 SAR 29.7K

$6,702 R 110.6K

18.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.97 SAR 158

$55.4 R 914

-24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 SAR 226

$32.27 R 532

86.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 SAR 309

$118 R 1,939

-29.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 SAR 329

$107 R 1,766

-18.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 SAR 1,614

$1,015 R 16.7K

-57.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 SAR 1,119

$715 R 11.8K

-58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 SAR 2,433

$1,801 R 29.7K

-64.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 SAR 2,021

$1,330 R 22.0K

-59.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,805 SAR 10.5K

$2,331 R 38.5K

20.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,366 SAR 5,131

$1,513 R 25.0K

-9.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,622 SAR 6,090

$1,636 R 27.0K

-0.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.62

10.97

-48.77%

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

Last update for Jubail: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jubail

$298 27.1%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 140% $417

Groceries & Markets

Jubail

$196 17.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 13.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jubail

$175 15.9%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 6.1% $11

Eating Out

Jubail

$135 12.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 28.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Jubail

$130 11.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 48.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Jubail

$122 11.1%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 14.7% $18

Getting Around

Jubail

$45 4.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 66% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $430 in Jubail versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 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 $40.00 in Jubail versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $222 – making Jubail the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jubail

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h behind Jubail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,778

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

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).

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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jubail Cape Town 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Jubail
Cape Town

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

Jubail vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 43% more than Jubail, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,639 per month in Jubail and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jubail, 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 $1,093 in Jubail and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 43%.

Public transport costs about 157% less in Jubail. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jubail, where all-in costs run around $1,093, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Jubail 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. Jubail costs $1,093 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 Jubail. 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.