Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,171 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arar and in Riyadh

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

A single person spends $1,171 per month in Arar vs $1,738 in Riyadh, rent included.

Arar $1,171
Riyadh $1,738

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Arar vs $2,587 in Riyadh, rent included.

Arar $1,750
Riyadh $2,587

A family of three spends $2,329 per month in Arar vs $3,437 in Riyadh, rent included.

Arar $2,329
Riyadh $3,437

Arar is about 33% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arar sits 14% below the global median, while Riyadh is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 SAR 22.40

$8.09 SAR 30.37

-26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 SAR 141

$65.3 SAR 245

-42.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 SAR 29.09

$8.18 SAR 30.69

-5.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-13.43%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-24.58%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.91

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-26.28%

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

$0.89 SAR 3.32

$0.85 SAR 3.18

4.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-6.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.31 SAR 4.93

-0.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.46

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.30 SAR 8.64

$3.04 SAR 11.41

-24.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 SAR 28.68

$10.77 SAR 40.41

-29.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 SAR 30.25

$9.38 SAR 35.18

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.82 SAR 48.09

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 8.00

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-25.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.38

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.95

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-36.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.87

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-8.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 SAR 4.46

$1.18 SAR 4.43

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.73

$1.28 SAR 4.82

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 SAR 2.11

$0.58 SAR 2.16

-3.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.26

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-63.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.49

$1.82 SAR 6.83

-4.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.54

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-18.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 SAR 24.42

$7.85 SAR 29.46

-17.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.07

$1.04 SAR 3.91

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$38.07 SAR 143

-3.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 SAR 10.08

$3.13 SAR 11.75

-14.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$1.91 SAR 7.16

-1.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.05 SAR 48.99

$13.31 SAR 49.93

-1.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$0.60 SAR 2.26

5.00%

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

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

9.39%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-2.77%

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

$104 SAR 392

$108 SAR 404

-2.91%

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

$32.87 SAR 123

$29.62 SAR 111

10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 SAR 249

$71.0 SAR 266

-6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.0 SAR 304

$83.0 SAR 312

-2.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 SAR 50.3

$13.31 SAR 49.95

0.68%

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

$412 SAR 1,546

$554 SAR 2,077

-25.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,834 SAR 29.4K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-22.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 SAR 158

$57.7 SAR 217

-26.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 SAR 203

$54.4 SAR 204

-0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 SAR 367

$104 SAR 391

-5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 SAR 325

$105 SAR 393

-17.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 SAR 2,119

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 SAR 1,365

$833 SAR 3,128

-56.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,100

$2,166 SAR 8,127

-61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 SAR 2,156

$1,276 SAR 4,787

-54.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,325 SAR 8,724

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-16.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,354 SAR 5,082

$1,718 SAR 6,445

-21.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

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

Last update for Arar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$364 31.1%

Riyadh

$833 48% 129% $470

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$204 17.4%

Riyadh

$208 12% 2.3% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$203 17.3%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 18.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$126 10.8%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 14.3% $18

Eating Out

Arar

$114 9.7%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 28% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$108 9.2%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 1.8% $1.9

Getting Around

Arar

$53 4.5%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 3.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Arar versus $1,149 in Riyadh. 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 $38 in Arar versus $65 in Riyadh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $241 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

Same time as Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Arar Riyadh 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arar
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,171 in Arar, $1,738 in Riyadh – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,757 per month in Arar and $2,606 in Riyadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $412 per month in Arar and $554 in Riyadh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,171 in Arar and $1,738 in Riyadh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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.

For expats, Arar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 48% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.