Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Ad Dammam

For one person, living costs are similar in Al-Ula and in Ad Dammam: $1,184 and $1,198 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-Ula and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al-Ula and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula versus $1,198 in Ad Dammam.

Al-Ula $1,184
Ad Dammam $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Al-Ula versus $1,835 in Ad Dammam.

Al-Ula $1,757
Ad Dammam $1,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,330 in Al-Ula versus $2,471 in Ad Dammam.

Al-Ula $2,330
Ad Dammam $2,471

Living in Al-Ula costs roughly 1% less than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-Ula 12% lower, Ad Dammam 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$7.24 SAR 27.17

-15.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$35.15 SAR 132

4.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$6.63 SAR 24.89

20.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

$1.82 SAR 6.84

3.85%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$3.06 SAR 11.48

3.59%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$0.70 SAR 2.64

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.19 SAR 0.72

36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.82 SAR 6.82

-4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-4.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$1.93 SAR 7.26

19.17%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$2.16 SAR 8.12

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$7.52 SAR 28.21

-1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$8.07 SAR 30.28

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$12.76 SAR 47.89

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.20 SAR 8.27

2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.66 SAR 6.23

6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-4.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.60 SAR 6.01

-1.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.09 SAR 4.08

12.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.19 SAR 4.48

7.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.28 SAR 4.80

-4.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.57 SAR 2.14

-5.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

$4.07 SAR 15.26

-29.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.50 SAR 5.61

18.67%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-2.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$7.54 SAR 28.30

-10.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.92 SAR 3.44

18.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$35.31 SAR 132

4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$2.59 SAR 9.73

0.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$2.63 SAR 9.86

-29.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$13.24 SAR 49.69

-0.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.60 SAR 2.24

8.33%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$65.8K SAR 247.1K

-33.13%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$21.0K SAR 78.8K

1.41%

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

$106 SAR 397

$130 SAR 486

-18.28%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$33.20 SAR 125

0.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$62.2 SAR 233

5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$77.1 SAR 289

6.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.97 SAR 105

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$13.47 SAR 50.5

-1.04%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$414 SAR 1,555

2.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$7,796 SAR 29.3K

3.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$41.50 SAR 156

2.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$48.82 SAR 183

13.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$94.6 SAR 355

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$91.4 SAR 343

-4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$580 SAR 2,176

-0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$370 SAR 1,388

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$1,002 SAR 3,760

-16.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$677 SAR 2,539

-15.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$1,405 SAR 5,271

65.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$604 SAR 2,268

128.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,487 SAR 5,581

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$372 31.5%

Ad Dammam

$370 30.9% 0.6% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Ad Dammam

$225 18.8% 9.8% $20

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Ad Dammam

$202 16.9% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Ad Dammam

$124 10.4% 2% $2.5

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Ad Dammam

$118 9.9% 2.5% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Ad Dammam

$104 8.7% 4.6% $5

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Ad Dammam

$55 4.6% 3.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $576 in Al-Ula and $580 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Al-Ula vs $35.00 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $202 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

Same time as Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

903,312

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Al-Ula Ad Dammam 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-Ula
Ad Dammam

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-Ula vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Ula wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al-Ula the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,776 in Al-Ula and $1,798 in Ad Dammam 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: $576 in Al-Ula versus $580 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,184 per month in Al-Ula versus $1,198 in Ad Dammam – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Ula runs roughly 4% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,184 in Al-Ula versus $1,198 in Ad Dammam, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-Ula but tight or insufficient in Ad Dammam. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Ula 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-Ula and Ad Dammam 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 Al-Ula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Ad Dammam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.