Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Buraydah

For one person, living costs are similar in Ad Dammam and in Buraydah: $1,217 and $1,226 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Buraydah
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Buraydah Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Buraydah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Ad Dammam versus $1,226 in Buraydah.

Ad Dammam $1,217
Buraydah $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Ad Dammam versus $2,036 in Buraydah.

Ad Dammam $1,838
Buraydah $2,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,460 in Ad Dammam versus $2,845 in Buraydah.

Ad Dammam $2,460
Buraydah $2,845

Monthly costs are close between Ad Dammam and Buraydah; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 11% lower, Buraydah 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 SAR 26.74

$13.15 SAR 49.35

-45.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.16 SAR 128

$39.53 SAR 148

-13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$7.99 SAR 29.99

-14.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

$1.88 SAR 7.07

1.60%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$1.31 SAR 4.91

71.76%

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$3.54 SAR 13.27

-14.69%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$0.79 SAR 2.96

-1.27%

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

$1.67 SAR 6.25

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.10 SAR 4.14

17.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.29

$2.53 SAR 9.51

-23.32%

Eggs

$2.18 SAR 8.20

$2.89 SAR 10.83

-24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 SAR 28.53

$8.31 SAR 31.19

-8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.83 SAR 29.37

$6.57 SAR 24.65

19.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.92

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 SAR 8.33

$2.28 SAR 8.57

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.83 SAR 6.87

-6.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.74 SAR 6.53

-5.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.75 SAR 6.58

-9.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.40 SAR 5.26

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.35

$1.30 SAR 4.88

-10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$1.05 SAR 3.94

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.31

$0.67 SAR 2.52

-7.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

$1.81 SAR 6.81

124.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$1.48 SAR 5.54

2.03%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$2.58 SAR 9.68

-17.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.58 SAR 28.46

$6.23 SAR 23.37

21.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$1.08 SAR 4.05

-15.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 SAR 145

$37.57 SAR 141

2.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$2.62 SAR 9.85

4.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$2.70 SAR 10.13

1.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.10 SAR 49.16

$16.75 SAR 62.9

-21.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.59 SAR 2.22

8.47%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

$42.2K SAR 158.4K

-31.12%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$23.0K SAR 86.2K

-6.56%

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

$131 SAR 493

$69.9 SAR 262

87.76%

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

$32.48 SAR 122

$31.54 SAR 118

2.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 SAR 236

$70.1 SAR 263

-10.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 SAR 273

$138 SAR 517

-47.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.56 SAR 107

$35.66 SAR 134

-19.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-10.27%

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

$416 SAR 1,560

$269 SAR 1,010

54.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

$3,800 SAR 14.3K

111.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 SAR 158

$52.1 SAR 196

-19.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 SAR 189

$54.4 SAR 204

-7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 361

$80.4 SAR 302

19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 SAR 348

$70.9 SAR 266

30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,008

$700 SAR 2,628

-23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 SAR 1,450

$332 SAR 1,245

16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 SAR 3,641

$905 SAR 3,397

7.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 SAR 2,513

$827 SAR 3,104

-19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$962 SAR 3,611

$1,949 SAR 7,314

-50.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 SAR 2,653

$1,335 SAR 5,009

-47.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 SAR 5,537

$2,467 SAR 9,257

-40.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.98

48.24%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Buraydah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8%

Buraydah

$332 27.1% 14.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6%

Buraydah

$172 14% 24.3% $55

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5%

Buraydah

$205 16.7% 1.9% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4%

Buraydah

$116 9.5% 8.4% $11

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7%

Buraydah

$176 14.3% 49.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2%

Buraydah

$168 13.7% 68.1% $68

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8%

Buraydah

$58 4.7% 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Ad Dammam and $700 in Buraydah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buraydah pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $40 in Buraydah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $205 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Buraydah

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

467,410

💱 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 Buraydah 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Buraydah

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 Buraydah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Ad Dammam. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $535 in Ad Dammam versus $700 in Buraydah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Buraydah runs roughly 3% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Dining out is cheaper in Ad Dammam – a meal for two runs $34 versus $40 in Buraydah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Buraydah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ad Dammam wins on affordability, Buraydah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.