Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Benalmadena

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,405 a month against $1,832 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Benalmadena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,405 in Al Khobar versus $1,832 in Benalmadena.

Al Khobar $1,405
Benalmadena $1,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,186 in Al Khobar versus $2,761 in Benalmadena.

Al Khobar $2,186
Benalmadena $2,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,967 in Al Khobar versus $3,690 in Benalmadena.

Al Khobar $2,967
Benalmadena $3,690

Living in Al Khobar costs roughly 23% less than in Benalmadena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Al Khobar 4% above, Benalmadena 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.53 SAR 24.51

$14.75 €13.12

-55.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 SAR 222

$68.0 €60.5

-12.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 SAR 29.50

$9.36 €8.33

-16.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 SAR 10.05

Cappuccino

$4.48 SAR 16.79

$2.18 €1.94

105.50%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.25

$2.10 €1.87

-58.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 SAR 1.42

$2.08 €1.85

-81.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.38

$1.18 €1.05

44.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$1.62 €1.44

-20.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$1.80 €1.60

36.67%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.69

$3.49 €3.10

-33.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.15 SAR 26.84

$15.49 €13.78

-53.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 SAR 38.43

$8.27 €7.36

23.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$16.01 €14.24

-26.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$2.49 €2.22

5.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

$1.94 €1.73

-9.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.77 €1.58

11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.64

$2.58 €2.29

-31.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.85 €1.64

-26.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

$2.10 €1.87

-20.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 SAR 6.23

$1.49 €1.33

11.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.76 €0.68

-30.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 SAR 25.00

$6.68 €5.94

-0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 SAR 2.75

$1.90 €1.69

-61.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 SAR 252

$31.58 €28.09

112.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 SAR 12.14

$1.84 €1.64

75.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$1.22 €1.09

122.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 SAR 24.31

$21.97 €19.54

-70.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$1.79 €1.59

-64.80%

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

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

$34.6K €30.8K

91.39%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

$29.5K €26.2K

-23.63%

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

$99.6 SAR 374

$140 €124

-28.68%

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

$33.32 SAR 125

$12.81 €11.39

160.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 SAR 265

$32.18 €28.63

119.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 SAR 308

$48.00 €42.69

70.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.23 SAR 140

$16.10 €14.32

131.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$7.91 €7.04

90.52%

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

$589 SAR 2,210

$557 €496

5.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

$9,462 €8,417

-9.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 SAR 233

$88.8 €79.0

-30.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 312

$39.00 €34.69

112.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 SAR 365

$95.5 €85.0

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 SAR 352

$111 €98.8

-15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SAR 2,363

$972 €864

-35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 SAR 1,873

$895 €796

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 SAR 4,454

$1,693 €1,506

-29.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 SAR 3,226

$1,486 €1,322

-42.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 SAR 9,020

$4,159 €3,699

-42.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,444 SAR 5,417

$3,495 €3,109

-58.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,829 SAR 6,864

$3,931 €3,497

-53.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

3.29

78.72%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Last update for Benalmadena: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$499 35.5%

Benalmadena

$895 48.9% 79.3% $396

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 15.5%

Benalmadena

$277 15.1% 27.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$203 14.5%

Benalmadena

$185 10.1% 9.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$151 10.8%

Benalmadena

$150 8.2% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$135 9.6%

Benalmadena

$214 11.7% 59.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 8%

Benalmadena

$64 3.5% 43.1% $48

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$87 6.2%

Benalmadena

$47 2.6% 45.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Al Khobar and $972 in Benalmadena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benalmadena pays 115% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Al Khobar vs $68.0 in Benalmadena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $277 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h behind Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

75,801

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al Khobar Benalmadena 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Benalmadena

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 Benalmadena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Benalmadena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 115% lower in Benalmadena. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $630 in Al Khobar versus $972 in Benalmadena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al Khobar runs roughly 113% less than in Benalmadena. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $589 in Al Khobar versus $557 in Benalmadena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,405 in Al Khobar versus $1,832 in Benalmadena, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Khobar but tight or insufficient in Benalmadena. The gap between the two cities makes Al Khobar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Khobar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,405 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Khobar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Al Khobar and Benalmadena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al Khobar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Benalmadena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.