Cost of living in Saudi Arabia
Summary of cost of living in Saudi Arabia
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: ﷼ 14,351
- Single person estimated monthly costs: ﷼ 8,002
- Saudi Arabia is the 2nd cheapest country in Middle East (3 out of 4)
- Cost of living in Saudi Arabia is more expensive than in 56% of countries in the World (28 out of 62)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | ﷼ 32 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | ﷼ 31 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | ﷼ 18 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | ﷼ 6 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | ﷼ 16 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | ﷼ 6 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | ﷼ 16 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | ﷼ 8 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | ﷼ 5.12 | ||
| 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 | ﷼ 3.61 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | ﷼ 7,199 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | ﷼ 4,041 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | ﷼ 507 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | ﷼ 4,310 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | ﷼ 2,838 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | ﷼ 706 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | ﷼ 254 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | ﷼ 1,109 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 405 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | ﷼ 38 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | ﷼ 48 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | ﷼ 181 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | ﷼ 201 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 399 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | ﷼ 337 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | ﷼ 94,922 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | ﷼ 2.27 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | ﷼ 146 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | ﷼ 8 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | ﷼ 90 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | ﷼ 198 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | ﷼ 80 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | ﷼ 20 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | ﷼ 15 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | ﷼ 16 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | ﷼ 21 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | ﷼ 34 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | ﷼ 112 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | ﷼ 120 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | ﷼ 200 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | ﷼ 218 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | - | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | ﷼ 18 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | - | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | ﷼ 2,708 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | ﷼ 0.35 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | ﷼ 405 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | ﷼ 26 | ||
Moving to Saudi Arabia with your children?
International Schools in Saudi Arabia
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.
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 44% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 12% cheaper than in Jeddah
- Cost of living in Dammam is 22% cheaper than in Barcelona, Spain
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 35% more expensive than in Neuquén
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 136% more expensive than in Palembang
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 111% more expensive than in Hyderabad, India
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 29% cheaper than in Dubai
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 55% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Medina is 23% cheaper than in Mecca
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 5% more expensive than in Rome
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 102% more expensive than in Kuching
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 16% more expensive than in Muscat
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 11% more expensive than in Grenoble
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 72% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 63% more expensive than in Sofia
- Cost of living in Riyadh is 79% more expensive than in Foshan
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 140% more expensive than in Zenica
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 346% more expensive than in Gaziantep
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 122% more expensive than in Banjarmasin
- Cost of living in Jeddah is 16% more expensive than in Darmstadt
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Riyadh costs ﷼ 30 (7 days ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Riyadh costs ﷼ 50 (7 days ago)
- 1 box of 16 of tampons (tampax, ob, ...) in Riyadh costs ﷼ 80 (7 days ago)
- Men’s leather business shoes in Riyadh costs ﷼ 600 (7 days ago)
- Hourly rate for domestic cleaning help in Riyadh costs ﷼ 40 (7 days ago)
- Laundry detergent, 3 liters in Riyadh costs ﷼ 60 (7 days ago)
- Internet 8 mbps, 1 month in Riyadh costs ﷼ 230 (7 days ago)
- 1 year rent - 480 sqft furnished studio in expensive area in Riyadh costs ﷼ 5,886 (7 days ago)
- 1 year rent - 900 sqft furnished accommodation in normal area in Riyadh costs ﷼ 8,471 (7 days ago)
- 1 year rent - 900 sqft furnished accommodation in expensive area in Riyadh costs ﷼ 21,177 (7 days ago)