Saudi Arabia vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

Saudi Arabia South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1259
$1116
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2869
$2517
🏠 One person rent
$653
$573
🏘️ Family rent
$1020
$928
🍽️ Food expenses
$328
$324
🚐 Transport expenses
$160
$125
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1834
$395
💸 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%
50.7%
🎓 Higher education
80
82
😀 Quality of life
67
38
🏙️ Population
35.3M
64M

The average cost of living in Saudi Arabia ($1259) is 13% more expensive than in South Africa ($1116). Saudi Arabia ranked 58th vs 79th 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 0.4 months in South Africa. Ranked 58th and 135th 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
$6.48
$10.6
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$42.4
$41.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.54
$5.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.78
$2.46
 Cappuccino
$3.51
$2.34
🥤 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
$659
$579
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$489
$417
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1339
$1059
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$791
$867
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$57.9
$95.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$88.8
$147
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$70.5
$39.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.31%
11.1%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2688
$1300
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1469
$937
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.13
$1.91
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$48.7
$60.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.9
$9.05
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$0.6
$1.34
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.63
$1.27
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1
$1.12
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.14
$1.81
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.52
$2.6
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.79
$8.53
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.31
$5.69
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.6
$8.33
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.17
$1.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.73
$1.81
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.78
$1.88
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$1.9
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$1.55
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$1.6
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.36
$0.81
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.19
$1.52
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.09
$5.87
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.74
$1.61
🚬 Cigarette pack
$6.96
$3.26
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.84
$5.56
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.15
$3.89
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.08
$2.06
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.46
$1.38
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$87.1
$35.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14
$7.85
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$42.1
$30.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.33
$7.32
👖 Brand Jeans
$49.7
$56.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$93.9
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$492
$235
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$10085
$5552

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Saudi Arabia vs South Africa

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Saudi Arabia

City Cost of living Population
Riyadh
$1628
7.01M
Jeddah
$1210
4.7M
Mecca
$1031
2.43M
Medina
$1164
1.41M
Dammam
$1059
903K
Tabuk
$1036
886K
Qatif
$778
625K
Yanbu
$791
299K
Unaizah
$938
250K
Jubail
$917
379K
Abha
$871
236K
Dhahran
$965
138K
Ha'il
$738
311K
Al-Mubarraz
$821
299K
Sakakah
$753
150K
Ar Rass
$834
92.5K
Bareq
$873
75.4K
Najran
$864
72K
Dumat al-Jandal
$771
45.3K
Bisha
$890
31.5K
Al Wajh
$919
30.5K
As Sulayyil
$993
8.21K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1204
4.8M
Cape Town
$1386
3.78M
Soweto
$1031
1.27M
Pretoria
$1015
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$725
619K
Durban
$938
595K
Rustenburg
$994
550K
Randburg
$912
337K
Port Elizabeth
$1020
312K
East London
$773
267K
Bloemfontein
$742
256K
Centurion
$997
237K
Kimberley
$904
225K
Sandton
$1104
222K
Klerksdorp
$860
187K
Kroonstad
$872
169K
Benoni
$851
159K
George
$877
157K
Potchefstroom
$789
149K
Upington
$796
121K
Springs
$784
122K
Paarl
$1421
112K
Uitenhage
$968
104K
Vereeniging
$742
99.8K
Vanderbijlpark
$867
95.8K
Worcester
$763
97.1K
Mthatha
$953
96.1K
Middelburg
$875
87.3K
Komani
$1033
68.9K
Makhanda
$863
67.3K