Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,374 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Arar
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,185
/mo nomad
Jeddah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,374
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arar and in Jeddah

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Arar vs $1,374 in Jeddah, rent included.

  • Arar $1,185
  • Jeddah $1,374

A couple spends around $1,758 per month in Arar vs $2,148 in Jeddah, rent included.

  • Arar $1,758
  • Jeddah $2,148

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Arar vs $2,922 in Jeddah, rent included.

  • Arar $2,330
  • Jeddah $2,922

Arar is about 14% cheaper than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Arar sits 12% below the global median, while Jeddah is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.20 SAR 23.25
$6.04 SAR 22.67
2.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.34 SAR 140
$80.3 SAR 301
-53.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.78 SAR 29.18
$9.50 SAR 35.65
-18.11%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.89 SAR 7.11
$2.38 SAR 8.95
-20.59%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 SAR 8.72
$2.63 SAR 9.88
-11.79%
Cappuccino
$3.16 SAR 11.88
$3.73 SAR 13.98
-15.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 SAR 3.24
$0.97 SAR 3.62
-11.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 SAR 0.98
$0.26 SAR 0.98
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 SAR 6.33
$1.68 SAR 6.32
0.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.92
$1.26 SAR 4.71
3.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 SAR 8.41
$2.34 SAR 8.76
-4.27%
Eggs
$2.43 SAR 9.13
$2.43 SAR 9.13
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.61 SAR 28.54
$6.36 SAR 23.88
19.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.97 SAR 29.91
$8.30 SAR 31.14
-3.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.96 SAR 48.62
$13.23 SAR 49.66
-2.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.25 SAR 8.46
$2.13 SAR 7.98
5.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 SAR 6.27
$1.69 SAR 6.33
-1.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 SAR 5.97
$1.62 SAR 6.07
-1.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.64 SAR 6.14
$1.69 SAR 6.32
-2.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.23 SAR 4.62
$1.12 SAR 4.22
9.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 SAR 4.97
$1.26 SAR 4.71
4.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 SAR 4.58
$1.07 SAR 4.01
14.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 SAR 2.06
$0.53 SAR 1.99
3.77%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.88 SAR 10.82
$4.21 SAR 15.81
-31.59%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 SAR 6.65
$1.76 SAR 6.59
0.57%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 SAR 7.55
$2.49 SAR 9.36
-19.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.50 SAR 24.38
$6.71 SAR 25.17
-3.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
$0.96 SAR 3.61
8.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.99 SAR 139
$55.4 SAR 208
-33.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.70 SAR 10.13
$3.16 SAR 11.85
-14.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.85 SAR 6.95
$1.76 SAR 6.62
5.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.26 SAR 49.76
$13.90 SAR 52.2
-4.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.40
$0.64 SAR 2.41
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.8K SAR 164.5K
$47.3K SAR 177.3K
-7.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.3K SAR 80.1K
$22.0K SAR 82.4K
-2.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 SAR 384
$90.4 SAR 339
13.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.69 SAR 123
$38.29 SAR 144
-14.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.5 SAR 253
$68.0 SAR 255
-0.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$81.8 SAR 307
$78.0 SAR 293
4.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$38.19 SAR 143
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.21 SAR 49.58
$11.91 SAR 44.69
10.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$421 SAR 1,579
$769 SAR 2,887
-45.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,110 SAR 30.4K
$16.7K SAR 62.8K
-51.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.56 SAR 156
$72.4 SAR 272
-42.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 SAR 202
$56.1 SAR 211
-4.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.2 SAR 361
$99.9 SAR 375
-3.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.4 SAR 324
$93.6 SAR 351
-7.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$587 SAR 2,202
$789 SAR 2,961
-25.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 SAR 1,416
$532 SAR 1,998
-29.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 SAR 3,100
$1,427 SAR 5,356
-42.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$574 SAR 2,155
$832 SAR 3,121
-30.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,369 SAR 8,891
$1,767 SAR 6,631
34.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,355 SAR 5,084
$1,143 SAR 4,290
18.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arar
Jeddah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,665 SAR 6,248
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
5.39
2.78%

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

Last update for Arar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Arar
$377
Jeddah
$532 41.1% $155
Groceries & Markets
Arar
$204
Jeddah
$201 1.5% $3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arar
$202
Jeddah
$197 2.8% $5.7
Clothing & Footwear
Arar
$125
Jeddah
$145 15.9% $20
Eating Out
Arar
$115
Jeddah
$126 9.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Arar
$108
Jeddah
$102 5.9% $6.4
Getting Around
Arar
$53
Jeddah
$71 34.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $587 in Arar versus $789 in Jeddah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Arar versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Arar vs $201 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Arar
🇸🇦 Jeddah
🕒 Local time
06:24 6:24 AM
06:24 6:24 AM
Same time as Arar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
167,057
3,430,697
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Arar Jeddah 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Arar
  • Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Arar and in Jeddah compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Arar, $1,374 in Jeddah – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Arar compared to Jeddah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Arar and $2,062 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Arar and Jeddah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Arar and in Jeddah?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Arar and Jeddah?
Kindergarten costs $421 per month in Arar and $769 in Jeddah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arar, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Arar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Arar or Jeddah?
Families tend to lean toward Arar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Arar or Jeddah safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Arar and Jeddah?
If budget matters most, go with Arar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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