Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Arar versus $1,471 in Al Khobar.

Arar $1,185
Al Khobar $1,471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Arar versus $2,231 in Al Khobar.

Arar $1,820
Al Khobar $2,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,454 in Arar versus $2,991 in Al Khobar.

Arar $2,454
Al Khobar $2,991

Living in Arar costs roughly 19% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arar is 12% below, Al Khobar is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 SAR 27.97

$6.74 SAR 25.29

10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.32 SAR 129

$60.2 SAR 226

-42.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SAR 25.77

$8.14 SAR 30.57

-15.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-32.69%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SAR 8.92

$2.67 SAR 10.03

-10.86%

Cappuccino

$3.04 SAR 11.39

$4.35 SAR 16.33

-30.11%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.04

$0.94 SAR 3.54

-13.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.91

$0.41 SAR 1.53

-41.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 SAR 5.76

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SAR 5.22

$1.24 SAR 4.67

12.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-8.13%

Eggs

$2.28 SAR 8.54

$2.35 SAR 8.81

-2.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 SAR 29.85

$7.42 SAR 27.87

7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 SAR 32.81

$10.09 SAR 37.87

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 SAR 50.1

$11.69 SAR 43.86

14.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 SAR 9.12

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-10.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.67

$1.71 SAR 6.40

4.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.50

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-12.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.22

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-20.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$1.42 SAR 5.33

-6.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

$1.67 SAR 6.25

-14.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.06

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.53 SAR 2.01

1.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.18 SAR 11.93

$2.62 SAR 9.82

21.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 SAR 6.97

$1.58 SAR 5.92

17.72%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

$1.87 SAR 7.03

2.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 SAR 28.04

$6.80 SAR 25.50

9.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$0.93 SAR 3.49

20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 SAR 155

$54.5 SAR 204

-24.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 SAR 10.31

$1.76 SAR 6.61

56.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SAR 5.57

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-44.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.41 SAR 50.3

$14.22 SAR 53.4

-5.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 SAR 2.56

$0.63 SAR 2.38

7.94%

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

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

-55.67%

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

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

8.49%

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

$111 SAR 416

$96.9 SAR 364

14.44%

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

$28.89 SAR 108

$32.58 SAR 122

-11.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 SAR 227

$68.3 SAR 256

-11.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 SAR 277

$80.1 SAR 301

-7.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 SAR 50.9

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-10.97%

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

$394 SAR 1,481

$599 SAR 2,249

-34.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

-43.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.59 SAR 149

$63.5 SAR 238

-37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SAR 188

$83.0 SAR 311

-39.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 SAR 413

$97.4 SAR 366

12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 SAR 282

$94.8 SAR 356

-20.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,355

$762 SAR 2,860

-17.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 SAR 1,400

$584 SAR 2,192

-36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,048

$1,226 SAR 4,602

-33.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 SAR 2,632

$912 SAR 3,424

-23.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,731 SAR 6,496

$1,437 SAR 5,392

20.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 SAR 4,356

$1,037 SAR 3,894

11.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

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 Arar: October 31, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$373 31.5%

Al Khobar

$584 39.7% 56.5% $211

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$210 17.8%

Al Khobar

$217 14.8% 3.1% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$200 16.9%

Al Khobar

$198 13.4% 1.2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$124 10.4%

Al Khobar

$152 10.4% 23.3% $29

Eating Out

Arar

$121 10.2%

Al Khobar

$136 9.2% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$101 8.5%

Al Khobar

$111 7.5% 9.5% $9.6

Getting Around

Arar

$56 4.7%

Al Khobar

$73 5% 31.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Arar and $762 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Arar vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $217 per month, with Arar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

Same time as Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

219,679

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arar Al Khobar 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arar
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

Arar vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arar 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 Arar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,777 in Arar and $2,206 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: $627 in Arar versus $762 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Arar runs roughly 24% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $394 in Arar versus $599 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Arar 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.