Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abha and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,062 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abha and in Riyadh

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 Riyadh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Abha vs $1,738 in Riyadh, rent included.

Abha $1,062
Riyadh $1,738

A couple spends around $1,754 per month in Abha vs $2,587 in Riyadh, rent included.

Abha $1,754
Riyadh $2,587

A family of three spends $2,445 per month in Abha vs $3,437 in Riyadh, rent included.

Abha $2,445
Riyadh $3,437

Abha is about 39% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Abha sits 22% below the global median, while Riyadh is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 SAR 20.12

$8.09 SAR 30.37

-33.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 SAR 189

$65.3 SAR 245

-22.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 SAR 28.57

$8.18 SAR 30.69

-6.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-24.54%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-54.55%

Cappuccino

$3.21 SAR 12.05

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-25.35%

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

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.85 SAR 3.18

-31.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.82

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-26.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-10.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$1.31 SAR 4.93

-54.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 SAR 7.53

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-15.19%

Eggs

$3.08 SAR 11.57

$3.04 SAR 11.41

1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.36 SAR 16.35

$10.77 SAR 40.41

-59.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 SAR 27.99

$9.38 SAR 35.18

-20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 SAR 68.8

$14.98 SAR 56.2

22.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 SAR 7.49

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-29.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

$1.90 SAR 7.13

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-36.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-3.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.28

$1.18 SAR 4.43

87.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.28 SAR 4.82

-0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 SAR 1.41

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-79.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 SAR 1.78

$0.58 SAR 2.16

-18.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.34 SAR 16.28

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-46.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.82 SAR 6.83

-35.71%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-38.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 SAR 35.22

$7.85 SAR 29.46

19.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.99 SAR 143

$38.07 SAR 143

-0.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 SAR 11.31

$3.13 SAR 11.75

-3.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 SAR 10.24

$1.91 SAR 7.16

42.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.48 SAR 50.6

$13.31 SAR 49.93

1.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.60 SAR 2.26

6.67%

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

$29.2K SAR 109.4K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

11.33%

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

$19.7K SAR 74.0K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-11.25%

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

$87.8 SAR 329

$108 SAR 404

-18.37%

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

$37.47 SAR 141

$29.62 SAR 111

26.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 SAR 286

$71.0 SAR 266

7.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.4 SAR 350

$83.0 SAR 312

12.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.58 SAR 167

$57.3 SAR 215

-22.16%

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 SAR 60.7

$13.31 SAR 49.95

21.64%

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

$213 SAR 798

$554 SAR 2,077

-61.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,133 SAR 15.5K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-59.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.20 SAR 117

$57.7 SAR 217

-45.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 SAR 263

$54.4 SAR 204

28.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$104 SAR 391

-7.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 SAR 247

$105 SAR 393

-37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 SAR 1,189

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 SAR 942

$833 SAR 3,128

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 SAR 2,023

$2,166 SAR 8,127

-75.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SAR 2,101

$1,276 SAR 4,787

-56.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$934 SAR 3,504

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-66.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 SAR 4,929

$1,718 SAR 6,445

-23.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,204 SAR 8,271

$2,052 SAR 7,701

7.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

8.30%

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

Last update for Abha: October 25, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abha

$251 23.6%

Riyadh

$833 48% 232% $582

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abha

$201 19%

Riyadh

$208 12% 3.3% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Abha

$200 18.9%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 20.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Abha

$126 11.8%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 12.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Abha

$118 11.1%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 22% $26

Eating Out

Abha

$107 10.1%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 35.4% $38

Getting Around

Abha

$58 5.5%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 5.1% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Abha versus $1,149 in Riyadh. 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 7% 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 $65 in Riyadh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $241 – making Abha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Abha

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

Same time as Abha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,157

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Abha Riyadh 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Abha
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 64% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,606 in Riyadh. 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 $1,149 in Riyadh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Abha and $65 in Riyadh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Riyadh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,062 in Abha and $1,738 in Riyadh. 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.