Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
Learn more

AL Kharj Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Khobar and in AL Kharj

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

A single person spends $1,487 per month in Al Khobar vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Al Khobar $1,487
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $2,252 per month in Al Khobar vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Al Khobar $2,252
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Al Khobar vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Al Khobar $3,016
AL Kharj $1,966

Al Khobar costs about 55% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Al Khobar sits 9% above the global median, while AL Kharj is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.57

$4.79 SAR 17.99

42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$26.43 SAR 99.2

126.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.01

$8.14 SAR 30.56

-1.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$2.16 SAR 8.11

20.83%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

$1.32 SAR 4.94

100.00%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$3.06 SAR 11.49

44.77%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.85 SAR 3.21

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.12 SAR 0.44

233.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.49 SAR 5.58

13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$0.28 SAR 1.06

353.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$2.44 SAR 9.17

4.10%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$2.12 SAR 7.95

15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.34

$10.38 SAR 38.96

-29.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.14

$4.95 SAR 18.59

105.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.50

$13.09 SAR 49.13

-9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$1.71 SAR 6.43

55.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.37 SAR 5.15

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$1.23 SAR 4.60

65.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.38 SAR 5.18

26.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$1.06 SAR 3.97

32.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$1.05 SAR 3.94

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$0.55 SAR 2.05

218.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.54 SAR 2.02

7.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

$2.20 SAR 8.26

24.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.04 SAR 3.91

58.65%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.32

$6.45 SAR 24.21

4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$23.07 SAR 86.6

168.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$2.66 SAR 9.97

9.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.90

$0.51 SAR 1.90

417.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.68

$13.22 SAR 49.60

-50.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.61 SAR 2.27

4.92%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

154.50%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

-3.97%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$107 SAR 400

-6.81%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$26.42 SAR 99.2

26.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 259

$50.6 SAR 190

36.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$72.4 SAR 272

12.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

$40.69 SAR 153

-9.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$13.41 SAR 50.3

13.80%

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

$607 SAR 2,279

$289 SAR 1,084

110.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

124.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$57.5 SAR 216

10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$52.4 SAR 197

57.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$46.60 SAR 175

109.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$78.9 SAR 296

19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,877

$692 SAR 2,597

10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$267 SAR 1,002

118.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,678

$590 SAR 2,214

111.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,401

$461 SAR 1,729

96.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,464

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,025

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,046

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

5.54

6.14%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 54.2% $316

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 21% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 8.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 30.3% $46

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 24.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 11.3% $13

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 65.5% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $766 in Al Khobar versus $692 in AL Kharj. 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 49% higher in AL Kharj, 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 $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

425,300

💱 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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Al Khobar AL Kharj 380 km

From you

Al Khobar
AL Kharj

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 AL Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,487 in Al Khobar, $961 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,231 per month in Al Khobar and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $766 in Al Khobar.

Kindergarten costs $607 per month in Al Khobar and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Al Khobar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Al Khobar at $1,487. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Khobar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – 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, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.