Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $907 a month against $957 in AL Kharj, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

AL Kharj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$957
/mo nomad
Aqaba
🇯🇴 Jordan
$907
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in AL Kharj and in Aqaba

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

A single person spends $957 per month in AL Kharj vs $907 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $957
  • Aqaba $907

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in AL Kharj vs $1,490 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,464
  • Aqaba $1,490

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in AL Kharj vs $2,073 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,971
  • Aqaba $2,073

AL Kharj costs about 6% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both AL Kharj and Aqaba are more affordable than the global median – AL Kharj 29% lower, Aqaba 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.74 SAR 17.77
$2.78 JOD 1.97
70.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.64 SAR 100.0
$69.4 JOD 49.11
-61.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.05 SAR 30.22
$4.32 JOD 3.06
86.34%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.10 SAR 7.87
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 SAR 4.95
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.08 SAR 11.54
$4.39 JOD 3.11
-29.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 SAR 3.31
$0.60 JOD 0.43
46.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 SAR 0.48
$0.60 JOD 0.42
-78.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$8.25 JOD 5.84
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$10.75 JOD 7.61
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 SAR 5.39
$1.43 JOD 1.01
0.70%
White Bread (500g)
$0.28 SAR 1.06
$0.51 JOD 0.36
-45.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 SAR 8.82
$1.59 JOD 1.12
47.80%
Eggs
$2.17 SAR 8.16
$1.72 JOD 1.22
26.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.49 SAR 39.36
$5.55 JOD 3.93
89.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.15 SAR 19.33
$4.32 JOD 3.06
19.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.51 SAR 50.7
$10.00 JOD 7.08
35.10%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 SAR 6.66
$1.44 JOD 1.02
22.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 SAR 4.88
$1.40 JOD 0.99
-7.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.21 SAR 4.54
$1.07 JOD 0.76
13.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 SAR 5.11
$0.69 JOD 0.49
97.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 SAR 3.88
$0.68 JOD 0.48
51.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 SAR 3.89
$0.72 JOD 0.51
44.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.52 SAR 1.94
$0.60 JOD 0.42
-13.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 SAR 2.01
$0.53 JOD 0.38
-
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.12 SAR 7.94
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 SAR 4.12
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 SAR 8.94
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.55 SAR 24.56
$3.77 JOD 2.67
73.74%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$17.23 JOD 12.20
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.78 JOD 1.97
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.53 JOD 1.79
-
🚌 Getting Around
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.40 SAR 87.8
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.69 SAR 10.10
$0.50 JOD 0.36
438.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 SAR 1.92
$1.38 JOD 0.98
-63.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.11 SAR 49.21
$7.14 JOD 5.06
83.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.40
$1.44 JOD 1.02
-55.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K SAR 129.8K
$30.8K JOD 21.8K
12.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K SAR 85.7K
$31.6K JOD 22.3K
-27.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 SAR 402
$127 JOD 90.0
-15.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.65 SAR 100
$15.73 JOD 11.14
69.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.6 SAR 194
$31.46 JOD 22.27
63.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.9 SAR 270
$64.1 JOD 45.41
12.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.47 SAR 152
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.11 SAR 49.21
$11.10 JOD 7.86
18.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$286 SAR 1,074
$486 JOD 344
-41.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,763 SAR 14.1K
$2,863 JOD 2,027
31.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 SAR 220
$27.70 JOD 19.61
111.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 SAR 204
$42.79 JOD 30.29
26.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.41 SAR 178
$42.82 JOD 30.32
10.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.2 SAR 301
$70.0 JOD 49.53
14.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$700 SAR 2,626
$277 JOD 196
152.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$259 SAR 972
$211 JOD 149
22.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$596 SAR 2,236
$669 JOD 474
-10.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$456 SAR 1,711
$459 JOD 325
-0.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,109 JOD 785
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$572 JOD 405
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
AL Kharj
Aqaba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,790 SAR 10.5K
$553 JOD 391
404.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
6.81
-18.65%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
AL Kharj
$259
Aqaba
$211 18.6% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
$185
Aqaba
$174 5.9% $11
Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
$175
Aqaba
$190 8.5% $15
Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
$108
Aqaba
$82 23.8% $26
Eating Out
AL Kharj
$103
Aqaba
$155 50.9% $52
Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
$98
Aqaba
$86 12% $12
Getting Around
AL Kharj
$29 *
Aqaba
$7.4 * 74.2% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in AL Kharj versus $277 in Aqaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 405% higher in AL Kharj, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in AL Kharj versus $69.0 in Aqaba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $190 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 AL Kharj
🇯🇴 Aqaba
🕒 Local time
14:49 2:49 PM
14:49 2:49 PM
Same time as AL Kharj
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
425,300
140,000
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • AL Kharj Aqaba 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • AL Kharj
  • Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in AL Kharj and in Aqaba compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $957 in AL Kharj, $907 in Aqaba – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in AL Kharj compared to Aqaba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,436 per month in AL Kharj and $1,360 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between AL Kharj and Aqaba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in AL Kharj and $69.0 in Aqaba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in AL Kharj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $907, than in AL Kharj at $957. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in AL Kharj it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between AL Kharj and Aqaba?
It depends on your priorities. Aqaba has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $907 in Aqaba to $957 in AL Kharj. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is AL Kharj or Aqaba safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between AL Kharj and Aqaba?
If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, AL Kharj makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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