Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Al-Ula

For one person, living costs are similar in Ad Dammam and in Al-Ula: $1,217 and $1,176 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ad Dammam and in Al-Ula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Ad Dammam versus $1,176 in Al-Ula.

Ad Dammam $1,217
Al-Ula $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Ad Dammam versus $1,751 in Al-Ula.

Ad Dammam $1,838
Al-Ula $1,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,460 in Ad Dammam versus $2,326 in Al-Ula.

Ad Dammam $2,460
Al-Ula $2,326

Living in Ad Dammam is roughly 3% more expensive than in Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 11% lower, Al-Ula 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 SAR 26.74

$6.26 SAR 23.50

13.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.16 SAR 128

$37.65 SAR 141

-9.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 SAR 25.59

$8.19 SAR 30.72

-16.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

$1.84 SAR 6.89

3.80%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.28 SAR 8.54

-1.32%

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.32

$3.14 SAR 11.79

-3.82%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$0.89 SAR 3.33

-12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 SAR 0.63

$0.26 SAR 0.98

-34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.72 SAR 6.45

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.32 SAR 4.94

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.29

$2.28 SAR 8.54

-14.91%

Eggs

$2.18 SAR 8.20

$2.40 SAR 8.99

-9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 SAR 28.52

$7.51 SAR 28.17

1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.83 SAR 29.37

$7.79 SAR 29.22

0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.91

$12.95 SAR 48.59

-1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 SAR 8.33

$2.24 SAR 8.40

-0.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.74 SAR 6.51

-1.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.59 SAR 5.96

3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.62 SAR 6.08

-2.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.22 SAR 4.58

-8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.35

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-9.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$1.27 SAR 4.75

4.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.31

$0.57 SAR 2.14

8.77%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.23

$2.99 SAR 11.24

35.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.66

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-14.69%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$1.98 SAR 7.44

7.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.58 SAR 28.46

$6.71 SAR 25.19

12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$1.08 SAR 4.06

-15.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 SAR 145

$36.96 SAR 139

4.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$2.72 SAR 10.22

0.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$1.90 SAR 7.14

44.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.10 SAR 49.15

$13.47 SAR 50.5

-2.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

$29.2K SAR 109.6K

-0.49%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

0.29%

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

$131 SAR 493

$105 SAR 396

24.47%

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

$32.48 SAR 122

$32.34 SAR 121

0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 SAR 236

$65.2 SAR 245

-3.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 SAR 273

$81.8 SAR 307

-10.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.56 SAR 107

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$13.45 SAR 50.5

0.67%

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

$416 SAR 1,559

$425 SAR 1,596

-2.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

$8,010 SAR 30.1K

0.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 SAR 158

$41.33 SAR 155

1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 SAR 189

$54.5 SAR 205

-7.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 361

$96.4 SAR 362

-0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 SAR 347

$87.9 SAR 330

5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,008

$575 SAR 2,157

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 SAR 1,450

$364 SAR 1,367

6.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 SAR 3,640

$814 SAR 3,056

19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 SAR 2,512

$562 SAR 2,111

19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$962 SAR 3,610

$2,350 SAR 8,817

-59.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 SAR 2,653

$1,366 SAR 5,126

-48.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 SAR 5,536

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.54

6.50%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Al-Ula: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8%

Al-Ula

$364 31% 5.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6%

Al-Ula

$203 17.3% 10.4% $24

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5%

Al-Ula

$204 17.3% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4%

Al-Ula

$126 10.7% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7%

Al-Ula

$117 9.9% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 8.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8%

Al-Ula

$54 4.6% 8.7% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Ad Dammam and $575 in Al-Ula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $38 in Al-Ula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $204 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

32,413

💱 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

Ad Dammam Al-Ula 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Al-Ula

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

Ad Dammam vs Al-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Ula wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al-Ula the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,825 in Ad Dammam and $1,764 in Al-Ula to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $535 in Ad Dammam versus $575 in Al-Ula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Ula runs roughly 4% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,217 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,176 in Al-Ula – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-Ula gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ad Dammam and Al-Ula are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.