Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,188 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
Learn more

Ad Dammam Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
Learn more

Ha'il Living Index

Jump to prices

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ad Dammam and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Ad Dammam versus $1,073 in Ha’il.

Ad Dammam $1,188
Ha'il $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,803 in Ad Dammam versus $1,623 in Ha’il.

Ad Dammam $1,803
Ha'il $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Ad Dammam versus $2,174 in Ha’il.

Ad Dammam $2,418
Ha'il $2,174

Living in Ad Dammam is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ha’il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 12% lower, Ha’il 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$5.40 SAR 20.28

24.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 SAR 129

$36.86 SAR 138

-6.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 SAR 24.84

$5.91 SAR 22.17

12.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 SAR 6.89

$1.17 SAR 4.38

57.26%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$2.60 SAR 9.77

16.15%

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

$0.77 SAR 2.87

$0.61 SAR 2.30

26.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 SAR 0.59

$0.23 SAR 0.86

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.69 SAR 6.34

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$0.86 SAR 3.21

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$1.88 SAR 7.05

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$1.93 SAR 7.26

9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.47 SAR 28.04

$6.68 SAR 25.08

11.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 SAR 28.90

$8.88 SAR 33.31

-13.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.93

$8.15 SAR 30.58

56.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$1.49 SAR 5.59

53.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$1.52 SAR 5.70

7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

$1.27 SAR 4.77

29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$1.94 SAR 7.28

-20.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.04

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-16.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.61 SAR 6.05

-27.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 SAR 4.71

$1.23 SAR 4.61

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 SAR 2.12

$0.48 SAR 1.79

16.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

$2.64 SAR 9.92

59.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 SAR 5.49

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-15.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

$1.81 SAR 6.78

16.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 SAR 29.28

$6.77 SAR 25.42

15.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 SAR 3.30

$0.91 SAR 3.43

-3.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.25 SAR 144

$36.03 SAR 135

6.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 SAR 8.57

$2.67 SAR 10.04

-14.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 SAR 5.08

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-23.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$13.27 SAR 49.82

4.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.28

$0.64 SAR 2.41

-4.69%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

-6.26%

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

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

-2.56%

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

$130 SAR 489

$52.8 SAR 198

146.76%

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

$32.31 SAR 121

$21.29 SAR 79.9

51.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 SAR 241

$45.84 SAR 172

39.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 SAR 264

$66.0 SAR 248

6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.59 SAR 107

$26.26 SAR 98.6

8.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.3

$14.67 SAR 55.1

-8.73%

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

$414 SAR 1,554

$419 SAR 1,571

-1.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

-13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 SAR 160

$42.92 SAR 161

-0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.93 SAR 184

$55.5 SAR 208

-11.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$97.9 SAR 367

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 SAR 345

$83.5 SAR 313

10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 SAR 1,993

$241 SAR 904

120.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 SAR 1,410

$406 SAR 1,525

-7.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 SAR 3,553

$361 SAR 1,355

162.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SAR 2,495

$618 SAR 2,321

7.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,479 SAR 5,552

$1,982 SAR 7,437

-25.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$779 SAR 2,925

$1,201 SAR 4,507

-35.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,508 SAR 5,659

$1,081 SAR 4,056

39.51%

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6%

Ha'il

$406 37.9% 8.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1%

Ha'il

$120 11.2% 47.1% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7%

Ha'il

$179 16.7% 9.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6%

Ha'il

$126 11.7% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6%

Ha'il

$96 8.9% 15.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2%

Ha'il

$95 8.9% 1.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3%

Ha'il

$51 4.8% 0.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Ad Dammam and $241 in Ha’il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $37 in Ha’il. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $179, with Ha’il cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

310,897

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ad Dammam Ha'il 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Ad Dammam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Ad Dammam versus $241 in Ha’il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,188 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,073 in Ha’il – Ha’il is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ha’il runs roughly 6% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il 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 Ha’il are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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