Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
Learn more

Ha'il Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Khobar and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,073 in Ha’il.

Al Khobar $1,471
Ha'il $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $1,623 in Ha’il.

Al Khobar $2,231
Ha'il $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $2,174 in Ha’il.

Al Khobar $2,991
Ha'il $2,174

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 37% more expensive than in Ha’il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Ha’il is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$5.40 SAR 20.28

24.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$36.86 SAR 138

63.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.57

$5.91 SAR 22.17

37.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$1.17 SAR 4.38

122.22%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

$2.22 SAR 8.32

20.27%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$2.60 SAR 9.77

67.31%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$0.61 SAR 2.30

54.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$0.23 SAR 0.86

78.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$0.86 SAR 3.21

44.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$1.88 SAR 7.05

30.85%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$1.93 SAR 7.26

21.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.86

$6.68 SAR 25.08

11.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$8.88 SAR 33.31

13.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$8.15 SAR 30.58

43.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$1.49 SAR 5.59

82.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.52 SAR 5.70

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.27 SAR 4.77

55.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.94 SAR 7.28

-10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.29 SAR 4.85

10.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$1.61 SAR 6.05

3.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.23 SAR 4.61

34.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.48 SAR 1.79

10.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

$2.64 SAR 9.92

-0.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-8.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$1.81 SAR 6.78

3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$6.77 SAR 25.42

0.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$0.91 SAR 3.43

2.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$36.03 SAR 135

51.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$2.67 SAR 10.04

-34.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$1.77 SAR 6.65

51.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$13.27 SAR 49.82

7.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.64 SAR 2.41

-1.56%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

115.41%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

-1.79%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$52.8 SAR 198

83.35%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$21.29 SAR 79.9

53.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$45.84 SAR 172

48.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$66.0 SAR 248

21.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

$26.26 SAR 98.6

37.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$14.67 SAR 55.1

3.75%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$419 SAR 1,571

43.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

53.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$42.92 SAR 161

47.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$55.5 SAR 208

49.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$97.9 SAR 367

-0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$83.5 SAR 313

13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$241 SAR 904

216.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$406 SAR 1,525

43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$361 SAR 1,355

239.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$618 SAR 2,321

47.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$1,982 SAR 7,437

-27.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$1,201 SAR 4,507

-13.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$1,081 SAR 4,056

73.26%

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 Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Ha'il

$406 37.9% 30.4% $178

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Ha'il

$179 16.7% 17.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Ha'il

$120 11.2% 39.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Ha'il

$126 11.7% 17.4% $27

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Ha'il

$96 8.9% 29.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Ha'il

$95 8.9% 13.8% $15

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Ha'il

$51 4.8% 30.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $241 in Ha’il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $37 in Ha’il for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $179 per month, with Ha’il cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

310,897

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Al Khobar Ha'il 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Al Khobar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $762 in Al Khobar versus $241 in Ha’il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ha’il runs roughly 34% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $419 in Ha’il. 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. Ha’il 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 Ha’il are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ha’il gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.