Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abha and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,062 a month against $1,217 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ad Dammam outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abha and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abha and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Abha vs $1,217 in Ad Dammam, rent included.

Abha $1,062
Ad Dammam $1,217

A couple spends around $1,754 per month in Abha vs $1,838 in Ad Dammam, rent included.

Abha $1,754
Ad Dammam $1,838

A family of three spends $2,445 per month in Abha vs $2,460 in Ad Dammam, rent included.

Abha $2,445
Ad Dammam $2,460

Abha is about 13% cheaper than Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Abha and Ad Dammam are more affordable than the global median – Abha 22% lower, Ad Dammam 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 SAR 20.12

$7.12 SAR 26.74

-24.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 SAR 189

$34.16 SAR 128

47.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 SAR 28.58

$6.82 SAR 25.60

11.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$1.91 SAR 7.17

-14.66%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$2.25 SAR 8.45

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.21 SAR 12.05

$3.02 SAR 11.33

6.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.78 SAR 2.94

-25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.82

$0.17 SAR 0.63

29.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-5.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-54.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 SAR 7.53

$1.94 SAR 7.29

3.61%

Eggs

$3.08 SAR 11.57

$2.18 SAR 8.20

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.36 SAR 16.35

$7.60 SAR 28.52

-42.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 SAR 27.99

$7.83 SAR 29.37

-4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 SAR 68.8

$12.77 SAR 47.92

43.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 SAR 7.49

$2.22 SAR 8.33

-9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

$1.71 SAR 6.42

11.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.64 SAR 6.15

-3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.58 SAR 5.94

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.28

$1.12 SAR 4.21

97.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.16 SAR 4.35

9.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 SAR 1.41

$1.33 SAR 4.98

-72.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 SAR 1.78

$0.62 SAR 2.31

-24.19%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.34 SAR 16.28

$4.06 SAR 15.24

6.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.51 SAR 5.67

-22.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$2.12 SAR 7.96

-28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 SAR 35.22

$7.58 SAR 28.46

23.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$0.91 SAR 3.41

-12.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.99 SAR 143

$38.54 SAR 145

-1.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 SAR 11.31

$2.74 SAR 10.27

9.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 SAR 10.24

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-0.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.48 SAR 50.6

$13.10 SAR 49.15

2.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.64 SAR 2.40

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.2K SAR 109.4K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

0.28%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.7K SAR 74.0K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

-8.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$87.8 SAR 329

$131 SAR 493

-33.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.47 SAR 141

$32.48 SAR 122

15.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 SAR 286

$62.9 SAR 236

21.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.4 SAR 351

$72.9 SAR 273

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.58 SAR 167

$28.56 SAR 107

56.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 SAR 60.8

$13.54 SAR 50.8

19.57%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$213 SAR 798

$416 SAR 1,560

-48.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,133 SAR 15.5K

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

-48.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.20 SAR 117

$42.09 SAR 158

-25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 SAR 263

$50.5 SAR 189

38.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$96.1 SAR 361

-0.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 SAR 247

$92.6 SAR 348

-28.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 SAR 1,189

$535 SAR 2,008

-40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 SAR 942

$387 SAR 1,450

-35.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 SAR 2,023

$970 SAR 3,640

-44.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SAR 2,101

$670 SAR 2,513

-16.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$934 SAR 3,504

$962 SAR 3,611

-2.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 SAR 4,929

$707 SAR 2,653

85.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,204 SAR 8,272

$1,475 SAR 5,537

49.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abha: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abha

$251 23.6%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 53.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abha

$201 19%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 12.5% $25

Groceries & Markets

Abha

$200 18.9%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 0.5% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Abha

$126 11.8%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 20.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Abha

$118 11.1%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 6.9% $8.2

Eating Out

Abha

$107 10.1%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 9.3% $10

Getting Around

Abha

$58 5.5%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 1.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Abha versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Abha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Abha versus $34 in Ad Dammam. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Abha vs $201 in Ad Dammam – so Abha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Abha

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Abha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,157

903,312

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abha Ad Dammam 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Abha
Ad Dammam

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abha vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam costs about 15% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Abha and $1,825 in Ad Dammam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $535 in Ad Dammam.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Abha and $1,217 in Ad Dammam. That’s a gap of about 15%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Abha and $34 in Ad Dammam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,062 in Abha and $1,217 in Ad Dammam. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.