Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,373 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Khobar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
Learn more

Dhahran Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,487 in Al Khobar versus $1,373 in Dhahran.

Al Khobar $1,487
Dhahran $1,373

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Al Khobar versus $1,761 in Dhahran.

Al Khobar $2,252
Dhahran $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Al Khobar versus $2,149 in Dhahran.

Al Khobar $3,016
Dhahran $2,149

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 8% more expensive than in Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$5.41 SAR 20.30

25.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$39.83 SAR 149

50.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.00

$6.46 SAR 24.23

23.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$1.92 SAR 7.19

35.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.91

$1.62 SAR 6.09

62.96%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.63

$3.82 SAR 14.35

15.97%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.69 SAR 2.57

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.20 SAR 0.75

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.56 SAR 5.86

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$0.94 SAR 3.51

35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$1.99 SAR 7.47

27.64%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$3.91 SAR 14.66

-37.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.33

$8.66 SAR 32.49

-15.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.13

$11.22 SAR 42.11

-9.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.48

$13.79 SAR 51.7

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.09 SAR 7.83

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.44 SAR 5.40

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$1.81 SAR 6.81

12.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.75 SAR 6.57

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$1.47 SAR 5.53

-4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$0.97 SAR 3.63

70.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$1.98 SAR 7.44

-11.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.85 SAR 3.17

-31.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

$4.72 SAR 17.69

-42.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.63 SAR 6.13

1.23%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$2.41 SAR 9.02

-21.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.31

$5.51 SAR 20.67

22.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

$0.90 SAR 3.37

5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$55.6 SAR 208

11.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$1.37 SAR 5.15

111.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.89

$3.30 SAR 12.37

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.67

$9.26 SAR 34.74

-28.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.63 SAR 2.38

1.59%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.4K

$36.3K SAR 136.4K

86.59%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

-0.13%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$61.2 SAR 230

62.32%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$43.31 SAR 162

-22.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 258

$65.9 SAR 247

4.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$195 SAR 733

-58.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

$95.1 SAR 357

-61.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$10.51 SAR 39.43

45.20%

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

$607 SAR 2,278

$66.2 SAR 248

817.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.0K

$13.6K SAR 51.0K

-37.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$50.7 SAR 190

24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$42.77 SAR 160

92.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$77.0 SAR 289

27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$90.4 SAR 339

4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,875

$366 SAR 1,375

109.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$449 SAR 1,683

30.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,677

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,400

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,462

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,023

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,043

$2,804 SAR 10.5K

-33.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

4.5

30.67%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

Dhahran

$449 32.7% 23.1% $135

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

Dhahran

$232 16.9% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

Dhahran

$170 12.4% 15.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

Dhahran

$117 8.6% 22.8% $35

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

Dhahran

$112 8.2% 18% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

Dhahran

$216 15.8% 93.4% $104

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

Dhahran

$77 5.6% 5.8% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $766 in Al Khobar and $366 in Dhahran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $40 in Dhahran. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $232, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

120,521

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Al Khobar Dhahran 8 km

From you

Al Khobar
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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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dhahran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Al Khobar. 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: $766 in Al Khobar versus $366 in Dhahran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dhahran runs roughly 10% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $607 in Al Khobar versus $66 in Dhahran. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Dhahran is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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