Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
Learn more

Dammam Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

Jump to prices

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dammam and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,487 in Al Khobar.

Dammam $1,226
Al Khobar $1,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,857 in Dammam versus $2,252 in Al Khobar.

Dammam $1,857
Al Khobar $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,488 in Dammam versus $3,016 in Al Khobar.

Dammam $2,488
Al Khobar $3,016

Living in Dammam costs roughly 18% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dammam is 10% below, Al Khobar is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.49 SAR 24.35

$6.81 SAR 25.57

-4.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.23 SAR 147

$59.9 SAR 225

-34.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.21

$8.00 SAR 30.00

-2.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-29.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$2.64 SAR 9.92

-32.58%

Cappuccino

$3.71 SAR 13.94

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-16.25%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.02

$0.87 SAR 3.26

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.04

$0.40 SAR 1.52

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.69 SAR 6.36

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-18.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$2.54 SAR 9.53

-8.66%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.52

$2.45 SAR 9.21

3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 SAR 25.48

$7.28 SAR 27.33

-6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 SAR 27.55

$10.16 SAR 38.14

-27.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 SAR 48.52

$11.86 SAR 44.50

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$2.66 SAR 9.97

-11.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$2.04 SAR 7.66

-20.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-6.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.67

$1.40 SAR 5.27

-10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

$1.65 SAR 6.20

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$1.75 SAR 6.55

-22.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$0.58 SAR 2.18

1.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

$2.73 SAR 10.26

4.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.65 SAR 6.18

4.85%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.62

$1.90 SAR 7.13

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SAR 27.23

$6.75 SAR 25.31

7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$0.95 SAR 3.55

9.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.52 SAR 152

$61.9 SAR 232

-34.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$2.90 SAR 10.88

-9.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-28.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.55 SAR 50.8

$6.58 SAR 24.68

105.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$0.64 SAR 2.39

1.56%

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

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

-59.98%

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

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

8.34%

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

$105 SAR 395

$99.4 SAR 373

5.97%

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

$33.70 SAR 126

$33.37 SAR 125

0.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 SAR 271

$68.9 SAR 259

4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 SAR 354

$81.3 SAR 305

16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 SAR 139

$36.86 SAR 138

0.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 SAR 54.8

$15.26 SAR 57.3

-4.26%

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

$346 SAR 1,299

$607 SAR 2,279

-43.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

-10.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 SAR 210

$63.4 SAR 238

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 SAR 236

$82.3 SAR 309

-23.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 SAR 315

$97.8 SAR 367

-14.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 SAR 305

$94.4 SAR 354

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 SAR 1,652

$766 SAR 2,876

-42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 SAR 1,441

$583 SAR 2,189

-34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 SAR 3,337

$1,247 SAR 4,678

-28.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,352

$906 SAR 3,400

-30.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 SAR 6,708

$1,456 SAR 5,463

22.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 SAR 4,025

$1,072 SAR 4,024

0.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,045

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

5.88

-24.83%

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

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dammam

$384 31.4%

Al Khobar

$583 39.2% 51.9% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dammam

$211 17.2%

Al Khobar

$202 13.6% 4.5% $9.6

Groceries & Markets

Dammam

$198 16.1%

Al Khobar

$220 14.8% 11% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dammam

$128 10.4%

Al Khobar

$152 10.2% 18.9% $24

Eating Out

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Al Khobar

$137 9.2% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Al Khobar

$112 7.5% 9.6% $12

Getting Around

Dammam

$57 4.6%

Al Khobar

$82 5.5% 44.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Dammam and $766 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Dammam vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $220 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dammam

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

219,679

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dammam Al Khobar 17 km

From you

Dammam
Al Khobar

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

Dammam vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,839 in Dammam and $2,231 in Al Khobar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Dammam versus $766 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dammam runs roughly 35% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $346 in Dammam versus $607 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dammam and Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.