Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Saudi Arabia

Name: Saudi Arabia
Address: SA

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Saudi Arabia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Saudi Arabia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Saudi Arabia $1,284

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,916 in Saudi Arabia, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Saudi Arabia $1,916

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,549 in Saudi Arabia, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Saudi Arabia $2,549

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Saudi Arabia ($674–$1,738), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 105% higher than in Saudi Arabia on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Saudi Arabia is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.00

$6.74 SAR 25.28

161.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$40.36 SAR 151

111.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.71

$8.14 SAR 30.53

36.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.95

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.52

$3.78 SAR 14.19

3.17%

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

$2.85 A$4.04

$0.75 SAR 2.83

280.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.28

$0.27 SAR 1.02

755.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.16

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.49

$1.70 SAR 6.39

3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.98

$1.11 SAR 4.17

153.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.18

$2.21 SAR 8.30

1.36%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.12

$2.67 SAR 10.01

88.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$13.98

$7.68 SAR 28.79

28.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.20

$7.86 SAR 29.48

18.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.05

$13.44 SAR 50.4

10.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.41

$2.16 SAR 8.10

76.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.14

$1.79 SAR 6.70

63.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.44

$1.73 SAR 6.48

80.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.81

$1.69 SAR 6.34

184.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.97

$1.31 SAR 4.91

113.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.37

$1.33 SAR 4.99

78.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.36

$1.27 SAR 4.76

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.34

$0.62 SAR 2.32

166.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 SAR 8.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.4

$7.32 SAR 27.44

434.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.73

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.43

$1.10 SAR 4.12

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$38.07 SAR 143

148.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.95

$2.74 SAR 10.26

27.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.26

$2.70 SAR 10.12

-40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.4

$13.49 SAR 50.6

195.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$0.60 SAR 2.26

131.67%

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

$30.0K A$42.5K

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

-1.44%

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

$25.8K A$36.5K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

19.99%

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

$205 A$290

$97.9 SAR 367

109.52%

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

$28.33 A$40.14

$31.85 SAR 119

-11.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.3

$67.1 SAR 252

-12.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$78.8

$79.8 SAR 300

-30.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.73

$39.07 SAR 147

-49.91%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.78

$13.92 SAR 52.2

10.49%

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

$2,145 A$3,039

$458 SAR 1,718

368.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.0K

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

106.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$48.43 SAR 182

61.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$79.7

$56.7 SAR 213

-0.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$163

$89.5 SAR 336

28.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$86.3 SAR 324

42.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,254

$641 SAR 2,404

148.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,831

$460 SAR 1,726

180.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,576

$1,008 SAR 3,781

150.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,841

$699 SAR 2,623

186.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$2,013 SAR 7,551

334.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,868

$1,252 SAR 4,696

400.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,644

$1,864 SAR 6,992

113.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

5.4

9.81%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8% 64.4% $833

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1% 44.9% $168

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Saudi Arabia

$128 10% 56.9% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3% 32.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9% 24.7% $41

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6% 49.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4% 24.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $556 in Saudi Arabia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $1,149 in Riyadh.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $1,949 in Saudi Arabia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 149% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 110% more in Australia.

Public transport is 121% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 99% higher in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

8 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

33,000,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Saudi Arabia 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Saudi Arabia

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

Australia vs Saudi Arabia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saudi Arabia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 51% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $556 in Saudi Arabia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Saudi Arabia – part of why living there is about 51% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Saudi Arabia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.