Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,271 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,271 in Taif.

Al Khobar $1,471
Taif $1,271

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $1,863 in Taif.

Al Khobar $2,231
Taif $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $2,456 in Taif.

Al Khobar $2,991
Taif $2,456

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 16% more expensive than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Taif is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$5.39 SAR 20.22

25.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$37.10 SAR 139

62.16%

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

$2.17 SAR 8.14

19.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

$1.36 SAR 5.11

96.32%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$2.20 SAR 8.27

97.73%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$0.63 SAR 2.37

49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$0.22 SAR 0.81

86.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.81 SAR 6.80

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$0.28 SAR 1.05

342.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.33 SAR 8.74

5.58%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.86

$5.82 SAR 21.83

27.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$6.93 SAR 26.01

45.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$9.46 SAR 35.52

23.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$2.45 SAR 9.19

11.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.82 SAR 6.82

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-6.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.34 SAR 5.04

5.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$1.44 SAR 5.41

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$0.91 SAR 3.42

81.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.78 SAR 2.92

-32.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

$3.01 SAR 11.32

-12.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.43 SAR 5.38

10.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$2.06 SAR 7.75

-9.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-13.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$37.71 SAR 142

44.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$1.36 SAR 5.11

29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$1.96 SAR 7.34

36.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$9.54 SAR 35.80

49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.64 SAR 2.40

-1.56%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

149.45%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

-0.20%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$141 SAR 530

-31.38%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$27.63 SAR 104

17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$68.4 SAR 257

-0.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$143 SAR 538

-44.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

$13.26 SAR 49.75

172.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-22.51%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$187 SAR 701

221.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

455.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$41.65 SAR 156

52.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$50.6 SAR 190

63.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$94.2 SAR 354

3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$86.6 SAR 325

9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$569 SAR 2,136

33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$399 SAR 1,496

46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$897 SAR 3,365

36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$610 SAR 2,288

49.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$1,992 SAR 7,477

-27.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$1,188 SAR 4,459

-12.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$1,573 SAR 5,905

19.01%

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 Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Taif

$399 31.4% 31.8% $185

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Taif

$181 14.2% 16.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Taif

$237 18.7% 19.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Taif

$123 9.7% 19.4% $30

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Taif

$96 7.5% 29.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Taif

$183 14.4% 65.3% $72

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Taif

$53 4.2% 27.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $569 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $37 in Taif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $181 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

579,970

💱 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 Taif 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taif wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $569 in Taif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taif runs roughly 31% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $187 in Taif. 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. Taif 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 Taif are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Taif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.