Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,487 in Al Khobar versus $1,226 in Dammam.

Al Khobar $1,487
Dammam $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Al Khobar versus $1,857 in Dammam.

Al Khobar $2,252
Dammam $1,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Al Khobar versus $2,488 in Dammam.

Al Khobar $3,016
Dammam $2,488

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 21% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Dammam is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.57

$6.49 SAR 24.35

4.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$39.23 SAR 147

52.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.00

$7.78 SAR 29.21

2.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.83 SAR 6.87

42.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

$1.78 SAR 6.68

48.31%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$3.71 SAR 13.94

19.41%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.81 SAR 3.02

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.28 SAR 1.04

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.72 SAR 6.45

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$1.04 SAR 3.91

22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$2.32 SAR 8.71

9.48%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$2.54 SAR 9.52

-3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.33

$6.79 SAR 25.48

7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.14

$7.34 SAR 27.55

38.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.50

$12.93 SAR 48.52

-8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.36 SAR 8.85

12.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.60 SAR 6.01

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$1.62 SAR 6.10

25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.63 SAR 6.11

7.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$1.25 SAR 4.67

12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$1.32 SAR 4.94

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$1.35 SAR 5.07

29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.59 SAR 2.22

-1.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

$2.84 SAR 10.65

-3.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-4.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$2.03 SAR 7.62

-6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.31

$7.26 SAR 27.23

-7.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

$1.04 SAR 3.90

-8.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$40.52 SAR 152

52.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$2.62 SAR 9.83

10.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.89

$1.89 SAR 7.10

39.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.68

$13.55 SAR 50.8

-51.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.65 SAR 2.42

-1.54%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

149.90%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

-7.70%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$105 SAR 395

-5.63%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$33.70 SAR 126

-0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 259

$72.2 SAR 271

-4.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$94.5 SAR 354

-13.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

$36.96 SAR 139

-0.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$14.61 SAR 54.8

4.45%

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

$607 SAR 2,279

$346 SAR 1,299

75.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

11.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$56.1 SAR 210

12.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$62.8 SAR 236

30.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$84.0 SAR 315

16.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$81.3 SAR 305

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,876

$440 SAR 1,652

74.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$384 SAR 1,441

51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,678

$889 SAR 3,337

40.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,400

$627 SAR 2,352

44.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,463

$1,788 SAR 6,708

-18.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,024

$1,073 SAR 4,025

-0.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,045

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

4.42

33.03%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

Dammam

$384 31.4% 34.2% $199

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

Dammam

$198 16.1% 9.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

Dammam

$211 17.2% 4.8% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

Dammam

$128 10.4% 15.9% $24

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 9.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 10.6% $12

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

Dammam

$57 4.6% 30.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $766 in Al Khobar and $440 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $39 in Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $198 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Dammam

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

903,312

💱 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 Dammam 17 km

From you

Al Khobar
Dammam

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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,231 in Al Khobar and $1,839 in Dammam 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: $766 in Al Khobar versus $440 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dammam runs roughly 35% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $607 in Al Khobar versus $346 in Dammam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.