Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Tabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabuk: $1,178 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Tabuk
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Tabuk Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Tabuk

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,178 in Tabuk.

Al Khobar $1,471
Tabuk $1,178

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $1,766 in Tabuk.

Al Khobar $2,231
Tabuk $1,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $2,354 in Tabuk.

Al Khobar $2,991
Tabuk $2,354

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 25% more expensive than in Tabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Tabuk is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$7.33 SAR 27.50

-8.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$31.31 SAR 118

92.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.57

$7.55 SAR 28.34

7.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$1.35 SAR 5.05

92.59%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

$1.60 SAR 6.01

66.87%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$3.13 SAR 11.76

38.98%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$0.73 SAR 2.73

28.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$0.26 SAR 0.97

57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.89 SAR 7.11

-12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$0.91 SAR 3.40

36.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-8.21%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$2.95 SAR 11.06

-20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.86

$12.63 SAR 47.41

-41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$6.74 SAR 25.29

49.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$12.74 SAR 47.81

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$1.95 SAR 7.31

39.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.67 SAR 6.28

2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.81 SAR 6.78

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$2.14 SAR 8.04

-18.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$2.09 SAR 7.86

-20.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.89 SAR 7.09

-12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.60 SAR 2.24

-11.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

$2.86 SAR 10.72

-8.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.83 SAR 6.86

-13.66%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$2.08 SAR 7.80

-10.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$6.62 SAR 24.86

2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$36.23 SAR 136

50.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$2.70 SAR 10.14

-34.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$1.69 SAR 6.34

58.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-5.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.65 SAR 2.44

-3.08%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$27.0K SAR 101.5K

147.21%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$20.4K SAR 76.6K

4.86%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$104 SAR 392

-7.27%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$36.05 SAR 135

-9.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$75.8 SAR 284

-9.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$79.5 SAR 298

0.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$13.35 SAR 50.1

14.01%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$428 SAR 1,605

40.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$8,508 SAR 31.9K

118.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$40.00 SAR 150

58.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$47.44 SAR 178

74.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$90.1 SAR 338

8.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$91.1 SAR 342

4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$309 SAR 1,159

146.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$338 SAR 1,270

72.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$556 SAR 2,087

120.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$567 SAR 2,128

60.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$1,966 SAR 7,379

-26.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$1,192 SAR 4,474

-12.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$1,716 SAR 6,442

9.10%

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 Tabuk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Tabuk

$338 28.7% 42.1% $246

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Tabuk

$222 18.8% 2.3% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Tabuk

$216 18.4% 9.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Tabuk

$121 10.3% 20.7% $32

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Tabuk

$123 10.4% 9.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Tabuk

$106 9% 4% $4.4

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Tabuk

$52 4.4% 29.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $309 in Tabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 9% 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: $60 in Al Khobar vs $31 in Tabuk. Groceries flip the comparison at $217 vs $222, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Tabuk

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

512,629

💱 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 Tabuk 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Tabuk

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 Tabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $309 in Tabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $428 in Tabuk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tabuk – a meal for two runs $31 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 Tabuk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tabuk wins on affordability, Al Khobar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.