Saudi Arabia vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Saudi Arabia South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1272
$1102
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2870
$2487
🏠 One person rent
$663
$568
🏘️ Family rent
$1023
$919
🍽️ Food expenses
$331
$316
🚐 Transport expenses
$160
$124
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1923
$1286
💸 GDP per capita
$35122
$6267
😃 Human freedom index
4.97
7.07
❤️ Life expectancy
78.7
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
57
41
🌐 English speaking %
55%
31%
🎓 Higher education
80
82
😀 Quality of life
67
42
🏙️ Population
35.3M
64M

The average cost of living in Saudi Arabia ($1272) is 15% more expensive than in South Africa ($1102). Saudi Arabia ranked 57th vs 81st for South Africa in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.5 months in Saudi Arabia compared to 1.2 months in South Africa. Ranked 57th and 124th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Saudi Arabia vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Saudi Arabia and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 22 and 36 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Saudi Arabia South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.66
$10.5
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$43.7
$40.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.64
$5.34
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.72
$2.57
 Cappuccino
$3.64
$2.32
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.8
$1.2
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$650
$579
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$490
$416
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1340
$1083
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$770
$849
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$62.6
$84.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$96.4
$130
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$70
$39.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.31%
11.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2608
$1265
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1471
$951
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.22
$1.95
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$48.7
$53.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$18.4
$9.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$0.59
$1.35
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.66
$1.29
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.02
$1.12
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.22
$1.79
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.58
$2.59
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.42
$8.89
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.25
$5.51
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.4
$7.92
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.19
$1.83
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.66
$1.75
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.73
$1.83
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.58
$1.81
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.29
$1.54
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.4
$1.58
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.4
$0.76
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.19
$1.56
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.13
$6.03
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.7
$1.56
🚬 Cigarette pack
$7.06
$3.29
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.85
$5.69
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.17
$4.01
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.09
$2.13
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.49
$1.42
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$87.8
$36
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14.9
$7.67
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$42.3
$31.8
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.34
$7.36
👖 Brand Jeans
$47.5
$57
👟 Brand Sneakers
$93.1
$104
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$456
$227
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8729
$5433

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Saudi Arabia vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Saudi Arabia

City Cost of living Population
Riyadh
$1632
7.01M
Jeddah
$1209
4.7M
Mecca
$1107
2.43M
Dammam
$1037
903K
Medina
$1168
1.41M
Tabuk
$1074
886K
Qatif
$823
625K
Yanbu
$795
299K
Jubail
$928
379K
Unaizah
$931
250K
Abha
$902
236K
Dhahran
$931
138K
Ha'il
$775
311K
Al-Mubarraz
$793
299K
Sakakah
$776
150K
Ar Rass
$815
92.5K
Bareq
$893
75.4K
Najran
$865
72K
Al Wajh
$942
50K
Bisha
$906
31.5K
Dumat al-Jandal
$790
45.3K
As Sulayyil
$1005
8.21K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1171
4.8M
Soweto
$1057
1.27M
Cape Town
$1366
3.78M
Pretoria
$1049
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$716
839K
Rustenburg
$1017
550K
Durban
$948
595K
Sandton
$1089
222K
Centurion
$967
237K
East London
$795
267K
Kimberley
$927
225K
Benoni
$892
159K
Randburg
$958
337K
George
$927
157K
Kroonstad
$875
169K
Springs
$792
122K
Klerksdorp
$826
187K
Potchefstroom
$791
149K
Vereeniging
$765
99.8K
Paarl
$1345
112K
Uitenhage
$980
104K
Middelburg
$899
87.3K
Port Elizabeth
$1036
312K
Komani
$1050
99K
Vanderbijlpark
$865
95.8K
Mthatha
$952
96.1K
Upington
$811
121K
Bloemfontein
$763
256K
Makhanda
$874
67.3K
Worcester
$718
97.1K