Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,198 a month against $1,339 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,198

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Ad Dammam versus $1,339 in Medina.

Ad Dammam $1,198
Medina $1,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Ad Dammam versus $1,801 in Medina.

Ad Dammam $1,835
Medina $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,471 in Ad Dammam versus $2,263 in Medina.

Ad Dammam $2,471
Medina $2,263

Living in Ad Dammam costs roughly 10% less than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 11% lower, Medina 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 SAR 27.17

$5.56 SAR 20.86

30.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.15 SAR 132

$31.40 SAR 118

11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 SAR 24.89

$7.76 SAR 29.11

-14.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

$1.59 SAR 5.95

14.47%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$1.69 SAR 6.36

37.28%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$2.69 SAR 10.11

13.75%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.64

$0.80 SAR 3.00

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.72

$0.25 SAR 0.94

-24.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

$1.43 SAR 5.35

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$0.94 SAR 3.53

41.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 SAR 7.26

$2.31 SAR 8.66

-16.45%

Eggs

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.03 SAR 7.61

6.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 SAR 28.21

$5.42 SAR 20.35

38.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.28

$7.21 SAR 27.04

11.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 SAR 47.89

$12.61 SAR 47.32

1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.27

$2.44 SAR 9.15

-9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.23

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$2.28 SAR 8.55

-27.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.47 SAR 5.53

8.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$1.38 SAR 5.16

-21.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 SAR 4.48

$1.29 SAR 4.84

-7.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$0.86 SAR 3.22

48.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.14

$0.76 SAR 2.85

-25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.26

$1.34 SAR 5.04

203.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.47 SAR 5.52

2.04%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.63 SAR 6.13

32.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.30

$7.31 SAR 27.42

3.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$1.08 SAR 4.06

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.31 SAR 132

$37.53 SAR 141

-5.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

$1.35 SAR 5.07

91.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 SAR 9.86

$1.63 SAR 6.11

61.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.69

$5.68 SAR 21.32

133.10%

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

$41.7K SAR 156.4K

57.99%

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

$21.0K SAR 78.8K

$20.6K SAR 77.2K

2.11%

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

$130 SAR 486

$152 SAR 570

-14.68%

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

$33.20 SAR 125

$27.74 SAR 104

19.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 SAR 233

$89.7 SAR 337

-30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.1 SAR 289

$80.2 SAR 301

-3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.97 SAR 105

$8.94 SAR 33.54

212.86%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 SAR 50.5

$13.39 SAR 50.2

0.60%

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

$414 SAR 1,555

$288 SAR 1,080

44.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,796 SAR 29.3K

$5,525 SAR 20.7K

41.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.50 SAR 156

$36.85 SAR 138

12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.82 SAR 183

$53.0 SAR 199

-7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 SAR 355

$67.5 SAR 253

40.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 SAR 343

$69.4 SAR 260

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 SAR 2,176

$556 SAR 2,088

4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 SAR 1,388

$514 SAR 1,929

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 SAR 3,760

$756 SAR 2,836

32.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 SAR 2,539

$579 SAR 2,172

16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,405 SAR 5,271

$2,251 SAR 8,446

-37.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$604 SAR 2,268

$1,324 SAR 4,967

-54.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,487 SAR 5,581

$1,209 SAR 4,537

23.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.17

41.49%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$370 30.9%

Medina

$514 38.4% 39% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$225 18.8%

Medina

$269 20.1% 19.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$202 16.9%

Medina

$190 14.2% 5.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$124 10.4%

Medina

$102 7.6% 17.9% $22

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$118 9.9%

Medina

$104 7.8% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$104 8.7%

Medina

$107 8% 2.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$55 4.6%

Medina

$51 3.8% 6.1% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $580 in Ad Dammam and $556 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ad Dammam vs $31.00 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $190 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

1,100,093

💱 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 Medina 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Medina. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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: $580 in Ad Dammam versus $556 in Medina. 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 $1,339 in Medina – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 6% less than in Medina. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,198 in Ad Dammam versus $1,339 in Medina, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Medina. 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 Medina 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 12% less than in Medina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.