Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Saudi Arabia

Name: Saudi Arabia
Address: SA

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in Saudi Arabia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,284 in Saudi Arabia.

China $791
Saudi Arabia $1,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,916 in Saudi Arabia.

China $1,251
Saudi Arabia $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,549 in Saudi Arabia.

China $1,711
Saudi Arabia $2,549

Internal cost variation is higher in Saudi Arabia: monthly costs span $674 to $1,738, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Saudi Arabia.

Living in China costs about 38% less than in Saudi Arabia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Saudi Arabia 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-55.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$40.36 SAR 151

-45.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$8.14 SAR 30.53

-36.12%

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

$2.97 ¥19.74

$3.78 SAR 14.19

-21.43%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.75 SAR 2.83

-36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.27 SAR 1.02

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.70 SAR 6.39

5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$1.11 SAR 4.17

51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.21 SAR 8.30

-58.37%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$2.67 SAR 10.01

-39.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$7.68 SAR 28.79

74.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$7.86 SAR 29.48

-57.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$13.44 SAR 50.4

-15.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$2.16 SAR 8.10

-15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-26.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.73 SAR 6.48

-13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-24.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-45.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.33 SAR 4.99

-30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-51.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.62 SAR 2.32

-9.68%

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)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$7.32 SAR 27.44

-48.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.10 SAR 4.12

-73.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$38.07 SAR 143

-53.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.74 SAR 10.26

-45.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.70 SAR 10.12

-86.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$13.49 SAR 50.6

-47.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$0.60 SAR 2.26

110.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

-36.13%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

-18.29%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$97.9 SAR 367

-44.25%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$31.85 SAR 119

-72.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$67.1 SAR 252

-83.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$79.8 SAR 300

-48.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$39.07 SAR 147

-62.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$13.92 SAR 52.2

-51.29%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$458 SAR 1,718

12.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

122.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$48.43 SAR 182

-3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$56.7 SAR 213

-37.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$89.5 SAR 336

-14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$86.3 SAR 324

-6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$641 SAR 2,404

-39.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$460 SAR 1,726

-49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$1,008 SAR 3,781

-18.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$699 SAR 2,623

-35.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$2,013 SAR 7,551

133.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,252 SAR 4,696

89.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,275

$1,864 SAR 6,992

-41.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.4

-35.93%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8% 96.2% $226

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1% 1.8% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9% 17.3% $19

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Saudi Arabia

$128 10% 45.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3% 165% $122

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4% 98.2% $53

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6% 163% $36

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $556 in Saudi Arabia. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,149 in Riyadh.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $1,949 in Saudi Arabia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 87% higher in Saudi Arabia.

Dining out costs 82% more in Saudi Arabia.

Public transport is 111% more expensive in Saudi Arabia.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Saudi Arabia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Saudi Arabia.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

33,000,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Saudi Arabia 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

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

At $791 per month in China and $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, China comes out about 38% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $556 in Saudi Arabia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.