Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,198 a month against $1,374 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,198

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Ad Dammam versus $1,374 in Jeddah.

Ad Dammam $1,198
Jeddah $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Ad Dammam versus $2,148 in Jeddah.

Ad Dammam $1,835
Jeddah $2,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,471 in Ad Dammam versus $2,922 in Jeddah.

Ad Dammam $2,471
Jeddah $2,922

Living in Ad Dammam costs roughly 13% less than in Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ad Dammam is 11% below, Jeddah is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 SAR 27.17

$6.04 SAR 22.67

19.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.15 SAR 132

$80.3 SAR 301

-56.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 SAR 24.89

$9.50 SAR 35.65

-30.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

$2.38 SAR 8.95

-23.53%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$3.73 SAR 13.98

-17.96%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.64

$0.97 SAR 3.62

-27.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.72

$0.26 SAR 0.98

-26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

$1.68 SAR 6.32

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.26 SAR 4.71

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 SAR 7.26

$2.34 SAR 8.76

-17.52%

Eggs

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.43 SAR 9.13

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 SAR 28.21

$6.36 SAR 23.88

18.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.28

$8.30 SAR 31.14

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 SAR 47.89

$13.23 SAR 49.66

-3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.27

$2.13 SAR 7.98

3.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.23

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.62 SAR 6.07

1.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.69 SAR 6.32

-5.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$1.12 SAR 4.22

-2.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 SAR 4.48

$1.26 SAR 4.71

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$1.07 SAR 4.01

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.14

$0.53 SAR 1.99

7.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.26

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-3.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.76 SAR 6.59

-14.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.49 SAR 9.36

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.30

$6.71 SAR 25.17

12.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$0.96 SAR 3.61

-4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.31 SAR 132

$55.4 SAR 208

-36.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

$3.16 SAR 11.85

-18.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 SAR 9.86

$1.76 SAR 6.62

49.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.69

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-4.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.24

$0.64 SAR 2.41

-6.25%

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

$65.8K SAR 247.1K

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

39.34%

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

$21.0K SAR 78.8K

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

-4.32%

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

$130 SAR 486

$90.4 SAR 339

43.40%

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

$33.20 SAR 125

$38.29 SAR 144

-13.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 SAR 233

$68.0 SAR 255

-8.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.1 SAR 289

$78.0 SAR 293

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.97 SAR 105

$38.19 SAR 143

-26.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 SAR 50.5

$11.91 SAR 44.69

13.10%

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

$414 SAR 1,555

$769 SAR 2,887

-46.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,796 SAR 29.3K

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

-53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.50 SAR 156

$72.4 SAR 272

-42.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.82 SAR 183

$56.1 SAR 211

-12.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 SAR 355

$99.9 SAR 375

-5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 SAR 343

$93.6 SAR 351

-2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 SAR 2,176

$789 SAR 2,961

-26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 SAR 1,388

$532 SAR 1,998

-30.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 SAR 3,760

$1,427 SAR 5,356

-29.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 SAR 2,539

$832 SAR 3,121

-18.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,405 SAR 5,271

$1,767 SAR 6,631

-20.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$604 SAR 2,268

$1,143 SAR 4,290

-47.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,487 SAR 5,581

$1,665 SAR 6,248

-10.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.39

9.46%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$370 30.9%

Jeddah

$532 38.7% 43.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$225 18.8%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 12.6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$202 16.9%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$124 10.4%

Jeddah

$145 10.5% 16.5% $21

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$118 9.9%

Jeddah

$126 9.2% 7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$104 8.7%

Jeddah

$102 7.4% 2.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$55 4.6%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 30.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $580 in Ad Dammam and $789 in Jeddah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeddah pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ad Dammam vs $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries flip the comparison at $202 vs $201, with Jeddah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

3,430,697

💱 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 Jeddah 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Jeddah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Jeddah. 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: $580 in Ad Dammam versus $789 in Jeddah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,198 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,374 in Jeddah – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 57% less than in Jeddah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,198 in Ad Dammam versus $1,374 in Jeddah, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Jeddah. The gap between the two cities makes Ad Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Jeddah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Jeddah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.