Studying English in South Africa from Saudi Arabia (2026): costs, visa and schools

Why Saudi families look at South Africa

Three reasons come up again and again in family conversations: price, distance and comfort. Tuition and accommodation in Cape Town are priced against the rand, which means a Saudi family gets close to double the study weeks for the same budget as London. The flight is long but there is no jet lag, so a student loses no study days on arrival. And a large, settled Muslim community — with mosques, halal restaurants and Arabic-speaking families across the Bo-Kaap, Rylands and Athlone — makes the first month far less isolating than a European city.

The trade-off is honesty about safety. Cape Town is not a low-crime city, and any guide that tells you otherwise is selling something. What matters is neighbourhood choice: students who live and study in the Atlantic Seaboard, City Bowl or Southern Suburbs, and who use ride-hailing after dark, report experiences comparable to any large European city.

What it actually costs from Riyadh or Jeddah

For a three-month general English course: tuition $1,400-$2,400, homestay with two meals a day $1,300-$1,900, food and transport $500-$800, medical cover and visa costs $250-$400, and a return flight $650-$1,100 depending on season. Twelve-month stays do not cost four times as much — schools discount long enrolments heavily, and monthly rentals drop once a student moves out of homestay into shared student housing.

Two costs Saudi families routinely forget: attestation of documents before the visa application, and a South African-registered medical scheme — travel insurance bought in the Kingdom is usually rejected by Home Affairs.

Choosing the right school

Ask every school four questions in writing before paying: how many Arabic speakers are in the class you would join, what the maximum class size actually is in peak season, whether they issue the guardianship letter for under-18s themselves, and what happens to your fees if the visa is refused. A school that answers all four clearly is usually a school that will look after your son or daughter well.