Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,768 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin 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 Berlin and in Riyadh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,768 in Riyadh, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Riyadh $1,768

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $2,557 in Riyadh, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Riyadh $2,557

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $3,345 in Riyadh, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Riyadh $3,345

Berlin costs about 44% more than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berlin and Riyadh sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Riyadh by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$8.09 SAR 30.36

107.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$66.5 SAR 250

19.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$8.11 SAR 30.47

64.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$4.34 SAR 16.31

-1.61%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$0.86 SAR 3.24

295.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.30 SAR 1.12

940.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.77 SAR 6.63

-28.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.32 SAR 4.97

85.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.40 SAR 9.03

37.50%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.06 SAR 11.48

45.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$10.63 SAR 39.91

60.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$9.60 SAR 36.05

26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$14.98 SAR 56.3

22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.80 SAR 10.51

27.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.98 SAR 7.45

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.51 SAR 9.43

30.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$1.80 SAR 6.75

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.18 SAR 4.45

80.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.34 SAR 5.01

64.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-16.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.54 SAR 2.03

87.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$7.53 SAR 28.26

39.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.05 SAR 3.96

316.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$37.18 SAR 140

90.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$3.29 SAR 12.35

60.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.91 SAR 7.19

59.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$13.43 SAR 50.5

170.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.65 SAR 2.42

250.77%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

-4.02%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

71.01%

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

$379 €339

$106 SAR 397

259.01%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$29.10 SAR 109

-33.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$72.7 SAR 273

-33.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$91.4 SAR 343

-55.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$56.4 SAR 212

-37.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$13.20 SAR 49.58

17.65%

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

$144 €128

$532 SAR 1,999

-73.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

54.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$57.4 SAR 215

65.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$54.4 SAR 204

-14.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$105 SAR 393

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$106 SAR 397

33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$1,211 SAR 4,547

22.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$834 SAR 3,132

31.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$2,223 SAR 8,346

19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,241 SAR 4,658

67.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

184.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$1,937 SAR 7,274

180.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$2,037 SAR 7,648

71.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.54

-31.41%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Riyadh

$834 47.7% 24.1% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Riyadh

$208 11.9% 53.6% $240

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 30.9% $108

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Riyadh

$146 8.4% 49.5% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Riyadh

$145 8.3% 16.5% $29

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 50.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 65.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $1,211 in Riyadh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin versus $66.0 in Riyadh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $242 – making Riyadh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Riyadh 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $2,652 in Riyadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Riyadh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $1,768 in Riyadh. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Riyadh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Riyadh, where all-in costs run around $1,768, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Riyadh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Riyadh – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Riyadh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.