Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqaba and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $916 a month against $961 in AL Kharj, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Aqaba, Jordan
AL Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Aqaba
🇯🇴 Jordan
$916
/mo nomad
AL Kharj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$961
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aqaba and in AL Kharj

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Aqaba vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Aqaba $916
  • AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $1,507 per month in Aqaba vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Aqaba $1,507
  • AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $2,098 per month in Aqaba vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Aqaba $2,098
  • AL Kharj $1,966

Aqaba is about 5% cheaper than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Aqaba and AL Kharj are more affordable than the global median – Aqaba 33% lower, AL Kharj 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 JOD 1.95
$4.79 SAR 17.99
-42.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 JOD 50.4
$26.43 SAR 99.2
169.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.17 JOD 2.95
$8.14 SAR 30.56
-48.77%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.32 SAR 4.94
-
Cappuccino
$4.46 JOD 3.16
$3.06 SAR 11.49
45.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 JOD 0.42
$0.85 SAR 3.21
-30.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 JOD 0.41
$0.12 SAR 0.44
383.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.58 JOD 6.07
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$11.05 JOD 7.82
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 JOD 1.02
$1.49 SAR 5.58
-2.68%
White Bread (500g)
$0.47 JOD 0.33
$0.28 SAR 1.06
67.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 JOD 1.09
$2.44 SAR 9.17
-36.89%
Eggs
$1.73 JOD 1.22
$2.12 SAR 7.95
-18.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.69 JOD 4.03
$10.38 SAR 38.95
-45.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.20 JOD 2.97
$4.95 SAR 18.59
-15.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.65 JOD 6.83
$13.09 SAR 49.13
-26.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.39 JOD 0.99
$1.71 SAR 6.43
-18.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 JOD 1.02
$1.37 SAR 5.15
5.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.08 JOD 0.77
$1.23 SAR 4.60
-12.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.74 JOD 0.53
$1.38 SAR 5.18
-46.38%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 JOD 0.52
$1.06 SAR 3.97
-30.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 JOD 0.51
$1.05 SAR 3.94
-30.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 JOD 0.42
$0.55 SAR 2.05
7.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 JOD 0.41
$0.54 SAR 2.02
5.56%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.20 SAR 8.26
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.04 SAR 3.91
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.47 SAR 9.28
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.92 JOD 2.78
$6.45 SAR 24.21
-39.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.26 JOD 12.22
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 JOD 1.99
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 JOD 1.79
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$23.07 SAR 86.6
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.50 JOD 0.36
$2.66 SAR 9.97
-81.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 JOD 0.97
$0.51 SAR 1.90
168.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.91 JOD 4.89
$13.22 SAR 49.59
-47.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 JOD 1.02
$0.61 SAR 2.27
136.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K JOD 22.3K
$26.6K SAR 100.0K
18.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K JOD 22.1K
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
39.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 JOD 95.4
$107 SAR 400
26.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.70 JOD 11.12
$26.42 SAR 99.2
-40.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.92 JOD 23.31
$50.6 SAR 190
-34.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.3 JOD 45.53
$72.4 SAR 272
-11.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$40.69 SAR 153
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 JOD 7.87
$13.41 SAR 50.3
-17.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$538 JOD 381
$289 SAR 1,084
86.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,836 JOD 2,008
$3,810 SAR 14.3K
-25.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.03 JOD 19.84
$57.5 SAR 216
-51.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.43 JOD 30.04
$52.4 SAR 197
-19.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$42.20 JOD 29.88
$46.60 SAR 175
-9.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.0 JOD 49.53
$78.9 SAR 296
-11.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$286 JOD 202
$692 SAR 2,597
-58.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$209 JOD 148
$267 SAR 1,002
-21.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$681 JOD 482
$590 SAR 2,214
15.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 JOD 328
$461 SAR 1,729
0.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,119 JOD 792
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$565 JOD 400
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aqaba
AL Kharj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$564 JOD 399
$2,793 SAR 10.5K
-79.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
5.54
25.27%

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

Last update for Aqaba: October 27, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Aqaba
$209
AL Kharj
$267 27.5% $58
Groceries & Markets
Aqaba
$189
AL Kharj
$174 8.3% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aqaba
$183
AL Kharj
$184 0.2% $0.3
Eating Out
Aqaba
$158
AL Kharj
$103 34.4% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Aqaba
$87
AL Kharj
$99 14.6% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Aqaba
$82
AL Kharj
$106 28.9% $24
Getting Around
Aqaba
$7.4 *
AL Kharj
$28 * 284% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $286 in Aqaba versus $692 in AL Kharj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in AL Kharj are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Aqaba versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇴 Aqaba
🇸🇦 AL Kharj
🕒 Local time
16:50 4:50 PM
16:50 4:50 PM
Same time as Aqaba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
140,000
425,300
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aqaba AL Kharj 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Aqaba
  • AL Kharj

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
Aqaba vs AL Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Aqaba and in AL Kharj compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $916 in Aqaba, $961 in AL Kharj – Aqaba comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Aqaba compared to AL Kharj?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,374 per month in Aqaba and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Aqaba and AL Kharj?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $692 in AL Kharj.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Aqaba and $26 in AL Kharj. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in AL Kharj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How does quality of life compare between Aqaba and AL Kharj?
It depends on your priorities. Aqaba has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Aqaba to $961 in AL Kharj. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Aqaba or AL Kharj safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Aqaba and AL Kharj?
If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, AL Kharj makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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