Cost of living in Saudi Arabia
Summary of cost of living in Saudi Arabia
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: ﷼ 9,920
- Single person estimated monthly costs: ﷼ 4,523
- Saudi Arabia is the 4th cheapest country in Middle East (10 out of 13)
- Cost of living in Saudi Arabia is cheaper than in 53% of countries in the World (50 out of 95)
Change the currency:
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | ﷼ 34 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | ﷼ 23 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | ﷼ 14 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | ﷼ 4.79 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | ﷼ 8 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | ﷼ 5.37 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | ﷼ 15 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | ﷼ 7 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | ﷼ 4.37 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | - | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | - | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | ﷼ 8 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | ﷼ 2.41 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | ﷼ 3,197 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | ﷼ 2,196 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | ﷼ 457 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | ﷼ 2,218 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | ﷼ 1,570 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | ﷼ 378 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | ﷼ 167 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | ﷼ 1,226 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 395 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | ﷼ 34 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | ﷼ 33 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | ﷼ 197 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | ﷼ 164 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 348 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | ﷼ 282 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | ﷼ 75,675 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | ﷼ 1.51 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | ﷼ 164 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 11 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | ﷼ 58 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | ﷼ 113 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | ﷼ 26 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | ﷼ 17 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | ﷼ 17 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | ﷼ 7 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | ﷼ 11 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | ﷼ 16 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | ﷼ 87 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | ﷼ 143 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | ﷼ 223 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | ﷼ 157 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | - | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | ﷼ 13 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | - | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | ﷼ 1,809 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | ﷼ 0.51 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | ﷼ 327 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | ﷼ 26 | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia
This map shows only the top cities in Saudi Arabia. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in Saudi Arabia
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Al Mubarraz | 160 |
| 2nd | Jeddah | 127 |
| 3rd | Riyadh | 112 |
| 4th | Dammam | 97 |
| 5th | Sakaka | 67 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to Saudi Arabia? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in Saudi Arabia of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in Saudi Arabia
| Al Mubarraz | Al Qurayyat | Arar |
| Buraidah | Dammam | Jeddah |
| Jizan | Jubail | Khamis Mushait |
| Mecca | Medina | Najran |
| Riyadh | Sakaka | Sultanah |
| Ta'if | Tabuk | Yanbu` al Bahr |
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 28% cheaper than in Dubai
- Cost of living in Sakaka is 49% cheaper than in Tallahassee, Florida
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 49% more expensive than in Cairo
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 8% cheaper than in Nicosia
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 83% more expensive than in Buenos Aires
- Cost of living in Dammam is 4% more expensive than in Cape Town
- Cost of living in Jeddah is about the same as in Tabuk
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 29% cheaper than in Abu Dhabi
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 74% more expensive than in Tunis
- Cost of living in Dammam is 83% more expensive than in Kochi
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 24% more expensive than in Malindi
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 16% cheaper than in Taipei
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 18% cheaper than in Kuwait City
- Cost of living in Medina is 6% cheaper than in Grand Rapids
- Cost of living in Mecca is 42% more expensive than in Cartagena
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 32% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 69% more expensive than in Delhi
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 43% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 168% more expensive than in Damascus
- Cost of living in Dammam is 39% cheaper than in Dubai
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in normal area in Tabuk costs ﷼ 1,200 (about 3 hours ago)
- Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Jeddah costs ﷼ 91,500 (about 5 hours ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Riyadh costs ﷼ 35 (2 days ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Riyadh costs ﷼ 25 (4 days ago)
- 1 kg of rice in Jeddah costs ﷼ 8 (5 days ago)
- 250 g of local cheese in Jeddah costs ﷼ 20 (5 days ago)
- 1 kg of tomatoes in Jeddah costs ﷼ 6.00 (5 days ago)
- 6 eggs, large in Jeddah costs ﷼ 16 (5 days ago)
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Jeddah costs ﷼ 5.00 (5 days ago)
- 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Jeddah costs ﷼ 18 (5 days ago)