Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Arar
Learn more

Arar Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,185 in Arar.

Al Khobar $1,471
Arar $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $1,820 in Arar.

Al Khobar $2,231
Arar $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $2,454 in Arar.

Al Khobar $2,991
Arar $2,454

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 24% more expensive than in Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Arar is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$7.45 SAR 27.97

-9.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$34.32 SAR 129

75.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.57

$6.87 SAR 25.77

18.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$1.75 SAR 6.58

48.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

$2.38 SAR 8.92

12.18%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$3.04 SAR 11.39

43.09%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$0.81 SAR 3.04

16.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$0.24 SAR 0.91

70.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.53 SAR 5.76

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$1.39 SAR 5.22

-10.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.26 SAR 8.47

8.85%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$2.28 SAR 8.54

3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.87

$7.95 SAR 29.85

-6.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$8.74 SAR 32.81

15.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$13.35 SAR 50.1

-12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$2.43 SAR 9.12

11.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.78 SAR 6.67

-3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.73 SAR 6.50

14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.39 SAR 5.22

25.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.33 SAR 4.98

6.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$1.43 SAR 5.38

16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.35 SAR 5.06

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.54 SAR 2.02

-1.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

$3.18 SAR 11.93

-17.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.86 SAR 6.97

-15.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$1.92 SAR 7.21

-2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.12 SAR 4.21

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$41.17 SAR 155

32.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$2.75 SAR 10.31

-36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$1.48 SAR 5.57

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$13.41 SAR 50.3

6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.68 SAR 2.56

-7.35%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

125.60%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

-7.83%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$111 SAR 416

-12.62%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$28.89 SAR 108

12.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$60.5 SAR 227

12.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$73.8 SAR 277

8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$13.55 SAR 50.9

12.32%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$394 SAR 1,481

51.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

77.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$39.59 SAR 149

60.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$50.1 SAR 188

65.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$110 SAR 413

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$75.1 SAR 282

26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$627 SAR 2,355

21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$373 SAR 1,400

56.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$812 SAR 3,048

50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$701 SAR 2,632

30.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$1,731 SAR 6,496

-17.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$1,161 SAR 4,356

-10.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Arar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Arar

$373 31.5% 36.1% $211

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Arar

$210 17.8% 3% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Arar

$200 16.9% 1.3% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Arar

$124 10.4% 18.9% $29

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Arar

$121 10.2% 11.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Arar

$101 8.5% 8.7% $9.6

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Arar

$56 4.7% 23.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $627 in Arar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $34 in Arar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $210 per month, with Arar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

167,057

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al Khobar Arar 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arar wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Arar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,206 in Al Khobar and $1,777 in Arar 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: $762 in Al Khobar versus $627 in Arar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Arar runs roughly 24% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $394 in Arar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Arar 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.

Safety-wise, Al Khobar and Arar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Arar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.