Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Saudi Arabia 
Sign up for free* to continue using Numbeo
Or please fill:
* Free use is limited to personal, academic and journalistic purposes only.
For commercial purposes, please obtain a Commercial License, Insights or API access
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia is 38.3% higher than in South Africa (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Saudi Arabia is 30.8% higher than in South Africa | |
| Rent Prices in Saudi Arabia are 5.0% higher than in South Africa | |
| Restaurant Prices in Saudi Arabia are 13.8% higher than in South Africa | |
| Groceries Prices in Saudi Arabia are 45.1% higher than in South Africa | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Saudi Arabia is 33.3% higher than in South Africa | |
Restaurants | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
160.00 R (31.82 ﷼) |
125.71 R (25.00 ﷼) |
-21.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
700.00 R (139.21 ﷼) |
754.26 R (150.00 ﷼) |
+7.8 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
89.99 R (17.90 ﷼) |
150.85 R (30.00 ﷼) |
+67.6 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
40.00 R (7.95 ﷼) |
35.20 R (7.00 ﷼) |
-12.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
45.00 R (8.95 ﷼) |
30.17 R (6.00 ﷼) |
-33.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
35.56 R (7.07 ﷼) |
68.68 R (13.66 ﷼) |
+93.1 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
17.46 R (3.47 ﷼) |
13.86 R (2.76 ﷼) |
-20.6 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
13.58 R (2.70 ﷼) |
4.75 R (0.94 ﷼) |
-65.0 % |
Markets | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
73.61 R (14.64 ﷼) |
121.06 R (24.08 ﷼) |
+64.5 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
16.04 R (3.19 ﷼) |
16.92 R (3.36 ﷼) |
+5.5 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
12.74 R (2.53 ﷼) |
18.92 R (3.76 ﷼) |
+48.5 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
40.49 R (8.05 ﷼) |
47.89 R (9.52 ﷼) |
+18.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
61.62 R (12.25 ﷼) |
62.77 R (12.48 ﷼) |
+1.9 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
36.99 R (7.36 ﷼) |
68.18 R (13.56 ﷼) |
+84.3 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
54.36 R (10.81 ﷼) |
111.24 R (22.12 ﷼) |
+104.6 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
12.35 R (2.46 ﷼) |
18.56 R (3.69 ﷼) |
+50.3 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
11.54 R (2.29 ﷼) |
14.08 R (2.80 ﷼) |
+22.0 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
11.98 R (2.38 ﷼) |
14.27 R (2.84 ﷼) |
+19.1 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
12.28 R (2.44 ﷼) |
13.81 R (2.75 ﷼) |
+12.5 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
9.90 R (1.97 ﷼) |
11.45 R (2.28 ﷼) |
+15.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
10.52 R (2.09 ﷼) |
11.55 R (2.30 ﷼) |
+9.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
18.60 R (3.70 ﷼) |
22.64 R (4.50 ﷼) |
+21.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
16.93 R (3.37 ﷼) |
11.15 R (2.22 ﷼) |
-34.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
85.00 R (16.90 ﷼) |
65.37 R (13.00 ﷼) |
-23.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
23.97 R (4.77 ﷼) |
32.35 R (6.43 ﷼) |
+34.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
30.70 R (6.10 ﷼) |
39.07 R (7.77 ﷼) |
+27.3 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
52.00 R (10.34 ﷼) |
140.80 R (28.00 ﷼) |
+170.8 % |
Transportation | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
30.00 R (5.97 ﷼) |
20.11 R (4.00 ﷼) |
-33.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
800.00 R (159.10 ﷼) |
703.98 R (140.00 ﷼) |
-12.0 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
20.00 R (3.98 ﷼) |
50.28 R (10.00 ﷼) |
+151.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
32.19 R (6.40 ﷼) |
72.83 R (14.48 ﷼) |
+126.3 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
85.00 R (16.90 ﷼) |
251.42 R (50.00 ﷼) |
+195.8 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
86.78 R (17.26 ﷼) |
44.16 R (8.78 ﷼) |
-49.1 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
370,000.00 R (73,581.58 ﷼) |
480,215.27 R (95,500.00 ﷼) |
+29.8 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
419,697.49 R (83,464.88 ﷼) |
421,401.67 R (83,803.79 ﷼) |
+0.4 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
2,005.99 R (398.93 ﷼) |
2,012.36 R (400.20 ﷼) |
+0.3 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
564.47 R (112.26 ﷼) |
636.41 R (126.56 ﷼) |
+12.7 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
735.09 R (146.19 ﷼) |
1,349.51 R (268.38 ﷼) |
+83.6 % |
Sports And Leisure | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
561.62 R (111.69 ﷼) |
1,749.77 R (347.97 ﷼) |
+211.6 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
180.96 R (35.99 ﷼) |
755.59 R (150.26 ﷼) |
+317.5 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
120.00 R (23.86 ﷼) |
301.71 R (60.00 ﷼) |
+151.4 % |
Childcare | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
3,428.30 R (681.78 ﷼) |
6,487.59 R (1,290.18 ﷼) |
+89.2 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
81,293.82 R (16,166.83 ﷼) |
139,871.12 R (27,816.05 ﷼) |
+72.1 % |
Clothing And Shoes | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
872.09 R (173.43 ﷼) |
951.61 R (189.25 ﷼) |
+9.1 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
551.94 R (109.76 ﷼) |
1,112.91 R (221.32 ﷼) |
+101.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
1,635.55 R (325.26 ﷼) |
1,777.84 R (353.56 ﷼) |
+8.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
1,412.01 R (280.81 ﷼) |
1,591.46 R (316.49 ﷼) |
+12.7 % |
Rent Per Month | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
8,058.38 R (1,602.56 ﷼) |
9,189.83 R (1,827.57 ﷼) |
+14.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
6,555.55 R (1,303.70 ﷼) |
7,655.54 R (1,522.45 ﷼) |
+16.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
16,175.35 R (3,216.78 ﷼) |
16,835.21 R (3,348.00 ﷼) |
+4.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
12,769.83 R (2,539.53 ﷼) |
12,076.55 R (2,401.65 ﷼) |
-5.4 % |
Buy Apartment Price | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
1,692.39 R (336.56 ﷼) |
3,110.35 R (618.55 ﷼) |
+83.8 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
1,279.20 R (254.39 ﷼) |
1,980.57 R (393.87 ﷼) |
+54.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | South Africa Edit |
Saudi Arabia Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
23,486.18 R (4,670.68 ﷼) |
40,941.40 R (8,141.98 ﷼) |
+74.3 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 11.56 | 4.70 | -59.4 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 662 | 386 |
Other comparisons South Africa vs Saudi Arabia:
- Quality of Life Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
- Crime Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
- Health Care Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
- Pollution Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
- Property Prices Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
- Traffic Comparison South Africa vs Saudi Arabia