Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,405 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,405 in Al Khobar versus $936 in Mecca.

Al Khobar $1,405
Mecca $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,186 in Al Khobar versus $1,453 in Mecca.

Al Khobar $2,186
Mecca $1,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,967 in Al Khobar versus $1,970 in Mecca.

Al Khobar $2,967
Mecca $1,970

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 50% more expensive than in Mecca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 4% above, Mecca is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.53 SAR 24.51

$4.57 SAR 17.14

42.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 SAR 222

$26.89 SAR 101

120.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 SAR 29.50

$7.07 SAR 26.52

11.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$1.55 SAR 5.81

76.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 SAR 10.05

$1.49 SAR 5.61

79.87%

Cappuccino

$4.48 SAR 16.79

$2.61 SAR 9.79

71.65%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.25

$0.67 SAR 2.51

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 SAR 1.42

$0.23 SAR 0.86

65.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.38

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-2.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$1.03 SAR 3.85

24.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.11 SAR 7.91

16.59%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.69

$2.52 SAR 9.46

-7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.15 SAR 26.84

$5.92 SAR 22.20

20.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 SAR 38.43

$8.08 SAR 30.33

26.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$12.95 SAR 48.59

-9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$2.09 SAR 7.84

25.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

$1.58 SAR 5.94

11.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.61 SAR 6.05

22.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.64

$1.47 SAR 5.52

20.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.12 SAR 4.21

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

$1.30 SAR 4.87

27.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 SAR 6.23

$1.05 SAR 3.94

58.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.50 SAR 1.86

6.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$4.06 SAR 15.24

-35.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.98

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-14.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.91

$1.59 SAR 5.97

15.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 SAR 25.00

$6.81 SAR 25.56

-2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 SAR 2.75

$1.34 SAR 5.03

-45.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 SAR 252

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 SAR 12.14

$2.43 SAR 9.11

32.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$1.75 SAR 6.57

55.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 SAR 24.31

$13.15 SAR 49.33

-50.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$0.63 SAR 2.38

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

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

39.52%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

6.66%

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

$99.6 SAR 374

$66.9 SAR 251

48.92%

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

$33.32 SAR 125

$35.35 SAR 133

-5.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 SAR 265

$63.2 SAR 237

11.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 SAR 308

$80.7 SAR 303

1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.23 SAR 140

$42.52 SAR 160

-12.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$11.96 SAR 44.88

26.00%

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

$589 SAR 2,210

$775 SAR 2,907

-23.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

-47.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 SAR 233

$13.57 SAR 50.9

356.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 312

$56.9 SAR 214

45.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 SAR 365

$39.67 SAR 149

144.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 SAR 352

$53.3 SAR 200

76.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SAR 2,363

$533 SAR 2,001

18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 SAR 1,873

$290 SAR 1,088

72.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 SAR 4,454

$830 SAR 3,114

43.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 SAR 3,226

$523 SAR 1,963

64.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 SAR 9,020

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

-62.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,444 SAR 5,417

$2,298 SAR 8,624

-37.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,829 SAR 6,864

$1,083 SAR 4,063

68.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

5.25

12.00%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mecca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$499 35.5%

Mecca

$290 31% 41.9% $209

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 15.5%

Mecca

$193 20.6% 11.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$203 14.5%

Mecca

$165 17.7% 18.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$151 10.8%

Mecca

$74 7.9% 51.4% $78

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$135 9.6%

Mecca

$93 9.9% 31.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 8%

Mecca

$105 11.2% 6.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$87 6.2%

Mecca

$17 * 1.8% 81% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Al Khobar and $533 in Mecca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 69% 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 $27.00 in Mecca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $193 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

1,675,368

💱 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 Mecca 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Mecca

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 Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mecca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $630 in Al Khobar versus $533 in Mecca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $589 in Al Khobar versus $775 in Mecca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mecca – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $59.0 in Al Khobar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $936 in Mecca versus $1,405 in Al Khobar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Mecca 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 Mecca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.