Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,405 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-Ula and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula versus $1,405 in Al Khobar.

Al-Ula $1,184
Al Khobar $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Al-Ula versus $2,186 in Al Khobar.

Al-Ula $1,757
Al Khobar $2,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,330 in Al-Ula versus $2,967 in Al Khobar.

Al-Ula $2,330
Al Khobar $2,967

Living in Al-Ula costs roughly 16% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-Ula is 12% below, Al Khobar is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$6.53 SAR 24.51

-6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$59.2 SAR 222

-37.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$7.86 SAR 29.50

1.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-31.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-14.18%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$4.48 SAR 16.79

-29.24%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$0.87 SAR 3.25

-1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.38 SAR 1.42

-31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.70 SAR 6.38

2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.28 SAR 4.80

-0.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-6.50%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$2.32 SAR 8.69

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$7.15 SAR 26.84

3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$10.24 SAR 38.43

-21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$11.69 SAR 43.86

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.62 SAR 9.83

-14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-20.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-11.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.36 SAR 5.11

-9.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.66 SAR 6.24

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.66 SAR 6.23

-26.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.53 SAR 2.01

1.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

$2.63 SAR 9.88

8.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.59 SAR 5.98

11.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$1.84 SAR 6.91

14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$6.66 SAR 25.00

1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.73 SAR 2.75

49.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$67.2 SAR 252

-45.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$3.23 SAR 12.14

-19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-31.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$6.48 SAR 24.31

102.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.63 SAR 2.37

3.17%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

-33.55%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

-5.47%

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

$106 SAR 397

$99.6 SAR 374

6.38%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$33.32 SAR 125

-0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$70.5 SAR 265

-6.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$82.0 SAR 308

0.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.23 SAR 140

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$15.07 SAR 56.6

-11.55%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$589 SAR 2,210

-27.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

-4.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$62.0 SAR 233

-31.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$83.0 SAR 312

-33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$97.2 SAR 365

-1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$93.9 SAR 352

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$630 SAR 2,363

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$499 SAR 1,873

-25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$1,187 SAR 4,454

-29.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$860 SAR 3,226

-33.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$2,404 SAR 9,020

-3.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$1,444 SAR 5,417

-4.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,829 SAR 6,864

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.88

-5.78%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$372 31.5%

Al Khobar

$499 35.5% 34.1% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Al Khobar

$203 14.5% 0.8% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Al Khobar

$217 15.5% 7.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Al Khobar

$151 10.8% 19.2% $24

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Al Khobar

$135 9.6% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Al Khobar

$112 8% 2.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Al Khobar

$87 6.2% 64.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $576 in Al-Ula and $630 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Al-Ula vs $59.0 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $217 per month, with Al-Ula cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

219,679

💱 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-Ula Al Khobar 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-Ula
Al Khobar

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 Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Ula wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Al Khobar. 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 $2,107 in Al Khobar 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 $630 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Ula runs roughly 83% less than in Al Khobar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $425 in Al-Ula versus $589 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,184 in Al-Ula versus $1,405 in Al Khobar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-Ula but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. 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 Al Khobar 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 19% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.