Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,062 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
Learn more

Abha Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Khobar and in Abha

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

A single person spends $1,487 per month in Al Khobar vs $1,062 in Abha, rent included.

Al Khobar $1,487
Abha $1,062

A couple spends around $2,252 per month in Al Khobar vs $1,754 in Abha, rent included.

Al Khobar $2,252
Abha $1,754

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Al Khobar vs $2,445 in Abha, rent included.

Al Khobar $3,016
Abha $2,445

Al Khobar costs about 40% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Al Khobar sits 9% above the global median, while Abha is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.57

$5.36 SAR 20.12

27.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$50.4 SAR 189

18.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.00

$7.61 SAR 28.57

5.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.63 SAR 6.13

60.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

$1.35 SAR 5.07

95.56%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$3.21 SAR 12.05

38.01%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.58 SAR 2.18

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.22 SAR 0.82

81.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.63 SAR 6.11

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$0.59 SAR 2.22

115.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$2.01 SAR 7.53

26.37%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$3.08 SAR 11.57

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.33

$4.36 SAR 16.35

66.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.14

$7.46 SAR 27.99

36.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.50

$18.35 SAR 68.8

-35.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.00 SAR 7.49

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.91 SAR 7.17

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$1.58 SAR 5.94

29.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.65 SAR 6.18

6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$2.21 SAR 8.28

-36.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$1.27 SAR 4.75

29.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$0.37 SAR 1.41

372.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.47 SAR 1.78

23.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

$4.34 SAR 16.28

-37.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.17 SAR 4.37

41.03%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.51 SAR 5.67

25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.31

$9.39 SAR 35.22

-28.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

$0.80 SAR 3.00

18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$37.99 SAR 143

62.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$3.01 SAR 11.31

-3.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.89

$2.73 SAR 10.24

-3.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.68

$13.48 SAR 50.6

-51.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

$29.2K SAR 109.4K

132.60%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$19.7K SAR 74.0K

9.40%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$87.8 SAR 329

13.19%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$37.47 SAR 141

-10.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 259

$76.2 SAR 286

-9.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$93.4 SAR 350

-12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

$44.58 SAR 167

-17.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$16.19 SAR 60.7

-5.74%

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

$607 SAR 2,279

$213 SAR 798

185.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

$4,133 SAR 15.5K

106.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$31.20 SAR 117

103.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$70.1 SAR 263

17.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$96.0 SAR 360

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$65.8 SAR 247

43.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,876

$317 SAR 1,189

141.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$251 SAR 942

132.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,678

$539 SAR 2,023

131.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,400

$560 SAR 2,101

61.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,463

$934 SAR 3,504

55.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,024

$1,313 SAR 4,929

-18.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,045

$2,204 SAR 8,271

-14.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

-2.00%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Abha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

Abha

$251 23.6% 57% $332

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

Abha

$200 18.9% 8.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

Abha

$201 19% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

Abha

$118 11.1% 22.2% $34

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

Abha

$107 10.1% 21.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

Abha

$126 11.8% 12.5% $14

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

Abha

$58 5.5% 29.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $766 in Al Khobar versus $317 in Abha. 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 17% higher in Abha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Al Khobar versus $50 in Abha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $200 – making Abha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

236,157

💱 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 Khobar Abha 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Abha

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 Khobar vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar costs about 40% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,231 per month in Al Khobar and $1,593 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $766 in Al Khobar.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Al Khobar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Al Khobar and $50 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,487 in Al Khobar and $1,062 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Abha is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.