Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rass and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $1,405 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass and in Al Khobar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,405 in Al Khobar.

Ar-rass $1,154
Al Khobar $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,690 in Ar-rass versus $2,186 in Al Khobar.

Ar-rass $1,690
Al Khobar $2,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,226 in Ar-rass versus $2,967 in Al Khobar.

Ar-rass $2,226
Al Khobar $2,967

Living in Ar-rass costs roughly 18% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ar-rass is 15% below, Al Khobar is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.12

$6.53 SAR 24.51

-5.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.47 SAR 141

$59.2 SAR 222

-36.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 SAR 29.65

$7.86 SAR 29.50

0.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-31.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-14.55%

Cappuccino

$3.25 SAR 12.18

$4.48 SAR 16.79

-27.46%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$0.87 SAR 3.25

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.38 SAR 1.42

-31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

$1.70 SAR 6.38

6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SAR 1.45

$1.28 SAR 4.80

-69.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 SAR 7.19

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-21.95%

Eggs

$3.60 SAR 13.52

$2.32 SAR 8.69

55.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 SAR 26.28

$7.15 SAR 26.84

-2.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$10.24 SAR 38.43

-21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 SAR 47.99

$11.69 SAR 43.86

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.62 SAR 9.83

-14.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.91

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-20.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-11.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.37

$1.36 SAR 5.11

-14.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.66 SAR 6.24

-18.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.66 SAR 6.23

-22.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.14

$0.53 SAR 2.01

7.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

$2.63 SAR 9.88

23.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

$1.59 SAR 5.98

25.16%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

$1.84 SAR 6.91

22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.27

$6.66 SAR 25.00

13.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$0.73 SAR 2.75

34.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.39 SAR 129

$67.2 SAR 252

-48.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 SAR 9.72

$3.23 SAR 12.14

-19.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.84 SAR 44.42

$6.48 SAR 24.31

82.72%

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)

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

-34.94%

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

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

-7.45%

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

$110 SAR 414

$99.6 SAR 374

10.75%

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

$23.87 SAR 89.6

$33.32 SAR 125

-28.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 SAR 221

$70.5 SAR 265

-16.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 SAR 168

$82.0 SAR 308

-45.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.23 SAR 140

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 SAR 50.4

$15.07 SAR 56.6

-10.88%

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

$425 SAR 1,595

$589 SAR 2,210

-27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

1.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.84 SAR 161

$62.0 SAR 233

-30.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.4 SAR 234

$83.0 SAR 312

-24.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 360

$97.2 SAR 365

-1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$93.9 SAR 352

-6.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,174

$630 SAR 2,363

-7.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 SAR 1,480

$499 SAR 1,873

-20.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 SAR 1,456

$1,187 SAR 4,454

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 SAR 2,111

$860 SAR 3,226

-34.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,625 SAR 9,851

$2,404 SAR 9,020

9.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 SAR 4,460

$1,444 SAR 5,417

-17.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,765 SAR 6,622

$1,829 SAR 6,864

-3.52%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rass

$394 34.2%

Al Khobar

$499 35.5% 26.6% $105

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rass

$198 17.1%

Al Khobar

$217 15.5% 10% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rass

$193 16.7%

Al Khobar

$203 14.5% 5.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rass

$130 11.3%

Al Khobar

$151 10.8% 16.3% $21

Eating Out

Ar-rass

$117 10.1%

Al Khobar

$135 9.6% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rass

$72 6.2%

Al Khobar

$112 8% 56.3% $40

Getting Around

Ar-rass

$50 4.4%

Al Khobar

$87 6.2% 73.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Ar-rass and $630 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 4% 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: $37.00 in Ar-rass vs $59.0 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $217 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as Ar-rass

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,359

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ar-rass Al Khobar 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rass
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

Ar-rass vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ar-rass wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ar-rass the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Al Khobar. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $579 in Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass runs roughly 96% 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 Ar-rass versus $589 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,405 in Al Khobar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass 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, Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.