Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-hawiyah and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,085 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,085

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-hawiyah and in Riyadh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al-hawiyah and in Riyadh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,085 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Al-hawiyah $1,085
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Al-hawiyah versus $2,587 in Riyadh.

Al-hawiyah $1,593
Riyadh $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Al-hawiyah versus $3,437 in Riyadh.

Al-hawiyah $2,102
Riyadh $3,437

Living in Al-hawiyah costs roughly 38% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-hawiyah is 20% below, Riyadh is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$8.09 SAR 30.37

-45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.60 SAR 99.8

$65.3 SAR 245

-59.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.71 SAR 25.16

$8.18 SAR 30.69

-17.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-28.24%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-47.14%

Cappuccino

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-39.07%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.52

$0.85 SAR 3.18

-21.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 SAR 7.11

$1.83 SAR 6.85

3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 SAR 3.57

$1.31 SAR 4.93

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 SAR 8.17

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-8.02%

Eggs

$2.67 SAR 10.01

$3.04 SAR 11.41

-12.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.07 SAR 22.79

$10.77 SAR 40.41

-43.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 SAR 43.82

$9.38 SAR 35.18

24.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.06 SAR 49.00

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-12.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 SAR 7.57

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-29.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-29.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-13.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 SAR 5.08

$1.18 SAR 4.43

14.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

$1.28 SAR 4.82

16.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-41.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 SAR 2.72

$0.58 SAR 2.16

24.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.89 SAR 10.84

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-64.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$1.82 SAR 6.83

14.84%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 SAR 29.24

$7.85 SAR 29.46

-0.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.02

$1.04 SAR 3.91

2.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.32 SAR 136

$38.07 SAR 143

-4.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$3.13 SAR 11.75

-24.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 SAR 9.77

$1.91 SAR 7.16

36.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.11 SAR 49.18

$13.31 SAR 49.93

-1.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.27

$0.60 SAR 2.26

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

$26.1K SAR 98.1K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

-0.20%

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

$21.9K SAR 82.1K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-1.60%

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

$66.6 SAR 250

$108 SAR 404

-38.11%

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

$34.33 SAR 129

$29.62 SAR 111

15.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 SAR 236

$71.0 SAR 266

-11.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 SAR 299

$83.0 SAR 312

-4.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$15.31 SAR 57.5

$13.31 SAR 49.95

15.03%

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

$415 SAR 1,557

$554 SAR 2,077

-25.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,915 SAR 29.7K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-21.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.44 SAR 50.4

$57.7 SAR 217

-76.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 SAR 203

$54.4 SAR 204

-0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.33 SAR 151

$104 SAR 391

-61.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 SAR 198

$105 SAR 393

-49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,193

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-49.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 SAR 1,404

$833 SAR 3,128

-55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 SAR 3,010

$2,166 SAR 8,127

-62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SAR 2,103

$1,276 SAR 4,787

-56.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,311 SAR 8,673

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-16.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,373 SAR 5,153

$1,718 SAR 6,445

-20.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.54

-5.23%

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

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-hawiyah

$374 34.5%

Riyadh

$833 48% 123% $459

Groceries & Markets

Al-hawiyah

$218 20.1%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 10.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-hawiyah

$164 15.1%

Riyadh

$208 12% 27% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Al-hawiyah

$110 10.2%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Al-hawiyah

$91 8.4%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 60.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Al-hawiyah

$72 6.7%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 99.8% $72

Getting Around

Al-hawiyah

$56 5.2%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 1.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $584 in Al-hawiyah and $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Al-hawiyah vs $65 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $241 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

Same time as Al-hawiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,151

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Al-hawiyah Riyadh 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-hawiyah
Riyadh

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

Al-hawiyah vs Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-hawiyah and Riyadh differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,085 vs $1,738 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,628 in Al-hawiyah and $2,606 in Riyadh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $584 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27 versus $65 in Riyadh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,085 per month in Al-hawiyah versus $1,738 in Riyadh – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-hawiyah 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.

Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.