Cost of living comparison
compared to
Saudi Arabia vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Saudi Arabia is 11.7% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.0% less in Saudi Arabia
- Groceries
-
pay 7.2% more in Saudi Arabia
- Transportation
-
pay 22.0% less in Saudi Arabia
- Housing
-
pay 25.9% more in Saudi Arabia
- Childcare
-
pay 91.5% more in Saudi Arabia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 81.6% more in Saudi Arabia
- Clothing
-
pay 1.5% more in Saudi Arabia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and clothing in Saudi Arabia are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including restaurants and transportation are lower in Saudi Arabia. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 24.0% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR168.45
|
$6.43
SAR24.15
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR97.49
|
$7.60
SAR28.53
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR17.88
|
$0.77
SAR2.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.78
|
$0.25
SAR0.94
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.2% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.59
|
$0.98
SAR3.69
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR67.33
|
$3.80
SAR14.25
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR75.49
|
$6.70
SAR25.16
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.28
|
$2.67
SAR10.01
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.16
|
$3.42
SAR12.84
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.40
|
$0.98
SAR3.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.13
|
$0.78
SAR2.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR12.95
|
$0.80
SAR2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.71
|
$0.75
SAR2.81
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.62
|
$0.62
SAR2.32
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR10.85
|
$0.60
SAR2.27
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of groceries
pay 22.0% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR90.53
|
$2.35
SAR8.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
|
$35.96
SAR134.94
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
|
$44,549.24
SAR167K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR121.20
|
$20.52
SAR77.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of transportation
pay 25.9% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR642.17
|
$68.86
SAR258.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
|
$633.54
SAR2,377.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
|
$465.22
SAR1,745.88
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,741.24
|
$73.68
SAR276.52
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of housing
pay 91.5% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
|
$419.94
SAR1,575.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
|
$8,565.65
SAR32,145.50
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of childcare
pay 81.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.13
|
$1.91
SAR7.18
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.18
|
$3.43
SAR12.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.13
|
$6.94
SAR26.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR521.05
|
$98.19
SAR368.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR120.70
|
$15.24
SAR57.19
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.5% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR868.55
|
$44.17
SAR165.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR562.92
|
$55.80
SAR209.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
|
$89.45
SAR335.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,428.49
|
$74.85
SAR280.89
|
|
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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