Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,217 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
Learn more

Ad Dammam Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
Learn more

Qatif Living Index

Jump to prices

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Ad Dammam versus $1,102 in Qatif.

Ad Dammam $1,217
Qatif $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Ad Dammam versus $1,640 in Qatif.

Ad Dammam $1,838
Qatif $1,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,460 in Ad Dammam versus $2,178 in Qatif.

Ad Dammam $2,460
Qatif $2,178

Living in Ad Dammam is roughly 10% more expensive than in Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 11% lower, Qatif 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 SAR 26.74

$3.50 SAR 13.15

103.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.16 SAR 128

$34.91 SAR 131

-2.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$6.52 SAR 24.48

4.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

$1.88 SAR 7.04

1.60%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.24 SAR 8.39

0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$3.10 SAR 11.62

-2.58%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$0.77 SAR 2.89

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 SAR 0.63

$0.19 SAR 0.72

-10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-2.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$0.91 SAR 3.42

41.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.29

$1.92 SAR 7.20

1.04%

Eggs

$2.18 SAR 8.20

$2.10 SAR 7.89

3.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 SAR 28.52

$5.90 SAR 22.14

28.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.83 SAR 29.37

$7.90 SAR 29.64

-0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.91

$12.64 SAR 47.44

1.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 SAR 8.33

$2.29 SAR 8.58

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.71 SAR 6.41

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.59 SAR 5.95

3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$0.67 SAR 2.52

135.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.08 SAR 4.05

3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.35

$1.13 SAR 4.26

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$0.95 SAR 3.58

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.31

$0.55 SAR 2.07

12.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

$2.60 SAR 9.77

56.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$1.50 SAR 5.64

0.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$2.21 SAR 8.31

-4.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.58 SAR 28.46

$6.26 SAR 23.48

21.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$1.09 SAR 4.09

-16.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 SAR 145

$36.50 SAR 137

5.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$2.46 SAR 9.22

11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$0.55 SAR 2.07

398.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.10 SAR 49.15

$13.24 SAR 49.70

-1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.61 SAR 2.29

4.92%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

0.02%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

5.56%

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

$131 SAR 493

$104 SAR 388

26.83%

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

$32.48 SAR 122

$32.15 SAR 121

1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 SAR 236

$59.3 SAR 222

6.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 SAR 273

$79.4 SAR 298

-8.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.56 SAR 107

$21.38 SAR 80.2

33.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$13.07 SAR 49.03

3.60%

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

$416 SAR 1,560

$264 SAR 992

57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

2.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 SAR 158

$32.16 SAR 121

30.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 SAR 189

$21.10 SAR 79.2

139.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 361

$95.5 SAR 358

0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 SAR 348

$90.7 SAR 340

2.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,008

$586 SAR 2,199

-8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 SAR 1,450

$374 SAR 1,402

3.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 SAR 3,640

$807 SAR 3,029

20.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 SAR 2,513

$578 SAR 2,171

15.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$962 SAR 3,610

$943 SAR 3,537

2.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 SAR 2,653

$796 SAR 2,987

-11.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 SAR 5,536

$2,257 SAR 8,471

-34.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.5

7.27%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Qatif: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8%

Qatif

$374 33.9% 3.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6%

Qatif

$195 17.7% 14% $32

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5%

Qatif

$185 16.8% 7.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4%

Qatif

$108 9.8% 14.9% $19

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7%

Qatif

$89 8% 24.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2%

Qatif

$106 9.6% 5.6% $5.6

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8%

Qatif

$46 4.2% 21.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Ad Dammam and $586 in Qatif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qatif pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $35 in Qatif. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $185, with Qatif cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

Same time as Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

87,332

💱 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 Qatif 17 km

From you

Ad Dammam
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qatif wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qatif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% 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 $586 in Qatif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,217 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,102 in Qatif – Qatif is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Qatif runs roughly 5% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Qatif 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 Qatif are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.