Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Rabigh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $953 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
Learn more

Rabigh Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,487 in Al Khobar versus $953 in Rabigh.

Al Khobar $1,487
Rabigh $953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Al Khobar versus $1,456 in Rabigh.

Al Khobar $2,252
Rabigh $1,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Al Khobar versus $1,960 in Rabigh.

Al Khobar $3,016
Rabigh $1,960

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 56% more expensive than in Rabigh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Rabigh is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.57

$4.66 SAR 17.49

46.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$26.40 SAR 99.1

126.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.00

$6.97 SAR 26.15

14.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.52 SAR 5.72

71.71%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

$1.58 SAR 5.92

67.09%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$2.57 SAR 9.63

72.37%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.70 SAR 2.63

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.23 SAR 0.86

73.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.88 SAR 7.06

-10.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$1.02 SAR 3.82

24.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$2.19 SAR 8.23

15.98%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$2.56 SAR 9.61

-4.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.33

$6.08 SAR 22.80

19.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.14

$12.04 SAR 45.17

-15.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.50

$12.95 SAR 48.60

-8.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.08 SAR 7.81

27.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.62 SAR 6.08

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$1.80 SAR 6.76

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.50 SAR 5.62

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$1.33 SAR 4.99

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$1.51 SAR 5.67

9.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$1.06 SAR 3.97

65.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.74 SAR 2.77

-21.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

$2.89 SAR 10.84

-5.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$2.19 SAR 8.22

-24.66%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.56 SAR 5.85

21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.31

$7.94 SAR 29.80

-14.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

$1.08 SAR 4.06

-12.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$33.60 SAR 126

84.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$2.41 SAR 9.06

20.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.89

$2.61 SAR 9.80

1.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.68

$13.48 SAR 50.6

-51.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$0.61 SAR 2.27

4.92%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

154.76%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

0.87%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$66.6 SAR 250

49.20%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$34.24 SAR 128

-2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 259

$63.8 SAR 239

7.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$74.0 SAR 277

9.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$15.35 SAR 57.6

-0.59%

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

$607 SAR 2,279

$428 SAR 1,606

41.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

$7,737 SAR 29.0K

10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$13.32 SAR 49.99

375.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$55.3 SAR 207

48.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$39.72 SAR 149

146.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$53.7 SAR 201

75.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,876

$335 SAR 1,258

128.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$244 SAR 917

138.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,678

$610 SAR 2,290

104.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,400

$424 SAR 1,591

113.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,463

$1,728 SAR 6,484

-15.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,024

$1,478 SAR 5,546

-27.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,045

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 24, 2026

Last update for Rabigh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

Rabigh

$244 25.7% 58.1% $339

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

Rabigh

$220 23.1% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

Rabigh

$165 17.3% 18.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

Rabigh

$73 7.7% 52.1% $79

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

Rabigh

$93 9.7% 32.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

Rabigh

$105 11% 6.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

Rabigh

$53 5.6% 34.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $766 in Al Khobar and $335 in Rabigh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $26 in Rabigh. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $220, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

92,072

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Khobar Rabigh 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Rabigh

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 Rabigh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rabigh wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rabigh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,231 in Al Khobar and $1,429 in Rabigh 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 $335 in Rabigh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $607 in Al Khobar versus $428 in Rabigh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rabigh – a meal for two runs $26 versus $60 in Al Khobar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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