Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,217 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in AL Kharj and in Ad Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $961 in AL Kharj versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam.

AL Kharj $961
Ad Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,464 in AL Kharj versus $1,838 in Ad Dammam.

AL Kharj $1,464
Ad Dammam $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,966 in AL Kharj versus $2,460 in Ad Dammam.

AL Kharj $1,966
Ad Dammam $2,460

Living in AL Kharj costs roughly 21% less than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: AL Kharj 29% lower, Ad Dammam 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 SAR 17.99

$7.12 SAR 26.74

-32.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.43 SAR 99.2

$34.16 SAR 128

-22.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.56

$6.82 SAR 25.59

19.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

$1.91 SAR 7.17

13.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.93

$2.25 SAR 8.45

-41.33%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SAR 11.49

$3.02 SAR 11.32

1.32%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.21

$0.78 SAR 2.94

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 SAR 0.44

$0.17 SAR 0.63

-29.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.58

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-78.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.17

$1.94 SAR 7.29

25.77%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.95

$2.18 SAR 8.20

-2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 SAR 38.95

$7.60 SAR 28.52

36.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 SAR 18.59

$7.83 SAR 29.37

-36.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 SAR 49.13

$12.77 SAR 47.91

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.43

$2.22 SAR 8.33

-22.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.15

$1.71 SAR 6.42

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.60

$1.64 SAR 6.15

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.18

$1.58 SAR 5.94

-12.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$1.12 SAR 4.21

-5.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.16 SAR 4.35

-9.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 SAR 2.05

$1.33 SAR 4.98

-58.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.62 SAR 2.31

-12.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

$4.06 SAR 15.23

-45.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.51 SAR 5.66

-31.13%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.12 SAR 7.96

16.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.45 SAR 24.21

$7.58 SAR 28.46

-14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 SAR 86.6

$38.54 SAR 145

-40.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-2.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 SAR 1.90

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-81.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.22 SAR 49.59

$13.10 SAR 49.15

0.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$0.64 SAR 2.40

-4.69%

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

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

-8.35%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

4.74%

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

$107 SAR 400

$131 SAR 493

-18.78%

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

$26.42 SAR 99.1

$32.48 SAR 122

-18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 SAR 190

$62.9 SAR 236

-19.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 SAR 272

$72.9 SAR 273

-0.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 SAR 153

$28.56 SAR 107

42.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 SAR 50.3

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-0.96%

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

$289 SAR 1,084

$416 SAR 1,559

-30.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

-52.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 SAR 216

$42.09 SAR 158

36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 SAR 197

$50.5 SAR 189

3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.60 SAR 175

$96.1 SAR 361

-51.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 SAR 296

$92.6 SAR 347

-14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 SAR 2,597

$535 SAR 2,008

29.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 SAR 1,002

$387 SAR 1,450

-30.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 SAR 2,214

$970 SAR 3,640

-39.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 SAR 1,729

$670 SAR 2,512

-31.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$962 SAR 3,610

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 SAR 2,653

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

$1,475 SAR 5,536

89.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

AL Kharj

$267 27.8%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 44.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

AL Kharj

$184 19.1%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 23.4% $43

Groceries & Markets

AL Kharj

$174 18.1%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 15.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

AL Kharj

$106 11%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 19.5% $21

Eating Out

AL Kharj

$103 10.8%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 13.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

AL Kharj

$99 10.3%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 0.8% $0.8

Getting Around

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 108% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in AL Kharj and $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

AL Kharj pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in AL Kharj vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $201 per month, with AL Kharj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

Same time as AL Kharj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,300

903,312

💱 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 Kharj Ad Dammam 380 km

From you

AL Kharj
Ad Dammam

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 Kharj vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

AL Kharj wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making AL Kharj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 89% higher in AL Kharj, 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: $692 in AL Kharj versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $961 per month in AL Kharj versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in AL Kharj runs roughly 40% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $961 in AL Kharj versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam, a $1,200 budget is realistic in AL Kharj but tight or insufficient in Ad Dammam. The gap between the two cities makes AL Kharj 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, AL Kharj and Ad Dammam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.