Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakakah: $1,223 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,223 in Sakakah.

Al Khobar $1,471
Sakakah $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $1,793 in Sakakah.

Al Khobar $2,231
Sakakah $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $2,364 in Sakakah.

Al Khobar $2,991
Sakakah $2,364

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$5.81 SAR 21.79

16.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$36.64 SAR 138

64.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.57

$7.81 SAR 29.29

4.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$2.17 SAR 8.13

19.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

$1.55 SAR 5.80

72.26%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$3.65 SAR 13.69

19.18%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$0.64 SAR 2.40

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$0.34 SAR 1.28

20.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.67 SAR 6.26

-1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$1.35 SAR 5.08

-8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.36 SAR 8.85

4.24%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$2.38 SAR 8.94

-1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.86

$7.68 SAR 28.82

-3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$6.77 SAR 25.42

49.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$12.59 SAR 47.25

-7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$2.22 SAR 8.33

22.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.72 SAR 6.46

-0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.59 SAR 5.97

24.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.56 SAR 5.85

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.23 SAR 4.63

15.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$1.32 SAR 4.95

26.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.19 SAR 4.45

38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.53 SAR 1.98

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

$2.76 SAR 10.37

-5.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-10.73%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$1.93 SAR 7.23

-3.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$5.84 SAR 21.92

16.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$0.98 SAR 3.69

-5.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$36.58 SAR 137

48.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$2.81 SAR 10.55

-37.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$1.73 SAR 6.50

54.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$14.80 SAR 55.6

-3.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.59 SAR 2.23

6.78%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$25.1K SAR 94.4K

165.87%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$24.2K SAR 90.9K

-11.60%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$119 SAR 445

-18.35%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$37.42 SAR 140

-12.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$73.6 SAR 276

-7.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$79.1 SAR 297

1.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$11.94 SAR 44.80

27.47%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$380 SAR 1,426

57.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$11.0K SAR 41.2K

69.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$38.10 SAR 143

66.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$59.7 SAR 224

38.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$101 SAR 379

-3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$80.6 SAR 303

17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$563 SAR 2,114

35.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$398 SAR 1,494

46.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$872 SAR 3,274

40.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$604 SAR 2,267

51.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$1,840 SAR 6,905

-21.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$1,239 SAR 4,651

-16.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$912 SAR 3,422

105.36%

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 Sakakah: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Sakakah

$398 32.6% 31.8% $186

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Sakakah

$197 16.1% 9.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Sakakah

$230 18.8% 16.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Sakakah

$126 10.3% 17.5% $27

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Sakakah

$118 9.6% 13.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Sakakah

$103 8.4% 6.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Sakakah

$52 4.3% 29.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $563 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $37 in Sakakah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $197 per month, with Sakakah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

242,813

💱 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 Sakakah 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakakah wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sakakah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Al Khobar is about 2.1 times higher, 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 $563 in Sakakah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sakakah runs roughly 33% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $380 in Sakakah. 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 Sakakah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sakakah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.