Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Ad Dammam

For one person, living costs are similar in Arar and in Ad Dammam: $1,171 and $1,217 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arar 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 Arar and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,171 in Arar versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam.

Arar $1,171
Ad Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Arar versus $1,838 in Ad Dammam.

Arar $1,750
Ad Dammam $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,329 in Arar versus $2,460 in Ad Dammam.

Arar $2,329
Ad Dammam $2,460

Living in Arar costs roughly 4% less than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arar 14% lower, Ad Dammam 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 SAR 22.40

$7.12 SAR 26.74

-16.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 SAR 141

$34.16 SAR 128

10.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 SAR 29.09

$6.82 SAR 25.59

13.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$1.91 SAR 7.17

-2.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.25 SAR 8.45

-0.44%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.91

$3.02 SAR 11.32

4.97%

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

$0.89 SAR 3.32

$0.78 SAR 2.94

14.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.17 SAR 0.63

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.29 SAR 4.85

0.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.46

$1.94 SAR 7.29

15.98%

Eggs

$2.30 SAR 8.64

$2.18 SAR 8.20

5.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 SAR 28.68

$7.60 SAR 28.52

0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 SAR 30.25

$7.83 SAR 29.37

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.82 SAR 48.09

$12.77 SAR 47.91

0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 8.00

$2.22 SAR 8.33

-4.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.38

$1.71 SAR 6.42

-0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.95

$1.64 SAR 6.15

-3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.87

$1.58 SAR 5.94

-0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 SAR 4.46

$1.12 SAR 4.21

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.73

$1.16 SAR 4.35

8.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$1.33 SAR 4.98

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 SAR 2.11

$0.62 SAR 2.31

-9.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.26

$4.06 SAR 15.23

-26.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.49

$1.51 SAR 5.66

14.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.54

$2.12 SAR 7.96

-5.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 SAR 24.42

$7.58 SAR 28.46

-14.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.07

$0.91 SAR 3.41

18.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$38.54 SAR 145

-4.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 SAR 10.08

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-1.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-31.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.05 SAR 48.99

$13.10 SAR 49.15

-0.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$0.64 SAR 2.40

-1.56%

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

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

-1.47%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

0.72%

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

$104 SAR 392

$131 SAR 493

-20.46%

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

$32.87 SAR 123

$32.48 SAR 122

1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 SAR 249

$62.9 SAR 236

5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.0 SAR 304

$72.9 SAR 273

11.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.56 SAR 107

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 SAR 50.3

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-1.03%

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

$412 SAR 1,546

$416 SAR 1,559

-0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,834 SAR 29.4K

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

-2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 SAR 158

$42.09 SAR 158

0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 SAR 203

$50.5 SAR 189

7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 SAR 367

$96.1 SAR 361

1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 SAR 325

$92.6 SAR 347

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 SAR 2,119

$535 SAR 2,008

5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 SAR 1,365

$387 SAR 1,450

-5.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,100

$970 SAR 3,640

-14.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 SAR 2,156

$670 SAR 2,512

-14.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,325 SAR 8,724

$962 SAR 3,610

141.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,354 SAR 5,082

$707 SAR 2,653

91.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 SAR 5,536

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 Arar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$364 31.1%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 6.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$204 17.4%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 11.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$203 17.3%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 0.9% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$126 10.8%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 0.2% $0.2

Eating Out

Arar

$114 9.7%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 3.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$108 9.2%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 7.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Arar

$53 4.5%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 10.2% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $565 in Arar and $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Arar vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $201 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

Same time as Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

903,312

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arar Ad Dammam 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arar
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

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

Arar wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Arar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,757 in Arar and $1,825 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: $565 in Arar versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Arar runs roughly 5% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,171 per month in Arar versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Arar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Arar 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.