Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,198 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
Learn more

Dhahran Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
Learn more

Ad Dammam Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhahran and in Ad Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,317 in Dhahran versus $1,198 in Ad Dammam.

Dhahran $1,317
Ad Dammam $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,671 in Dhahran versus $1,835 in Ad Dammam.

Dhahran $1,671
Ad Dammam $1,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Dhahran versus $2,471 in Ad Dammam.

Dhahran $2,026
Ad Dammam $2,471

Living in Dhahran is roughly 10% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhahran 2% lower, Ad Dammam 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$7.24 SAR 27.17

-26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$35.15 SAR 132

11.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$6.63 SAR 24.89

-4.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$1.82 SAR 6.84

-0.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-31.47%

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$3.06 SAR 11.48

31.05%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$0.70 SAR 2.64

5.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.19 SAR 0.72

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.82 SAR 6.82

-9.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.93 SAR 7.26

2.07%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.16 SAR 8.12

79.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$7.52 SAR 28.21

14.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$8.07 SAR 30.28

35.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$12.76 SAR 47.89

8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.20 SAR 8.27

-2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.66 SAR 6.23

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$1.65 SAR 6.18

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$1.60 SAR 6.01

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.09 SAR 4.08

37.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.19 SAR 4.48

-19.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.28 SAR 4.80

53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.57 SAR 2.14

49.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

$4.07 SAR 15.26

18.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.50 SAR 5.61

9.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

$2.16 SAR 8.12

13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$7.54 SAR 28.30

-26.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.92 SAR 3.44

-9.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.31 SAR 132

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.59 SAR 9.73

-47.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$2.63 SAR 9.86

23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$13.24 SAR 49.69

-28.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.60 SAR 2.24

8.33%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$65.8K SAR 247.1K

-19.16%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$21.0K SAR 78.8K

-1.52%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$130 SAR 486

-54.47%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$33.20 SAR 125

27.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$62.2 SAR 233

4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$77.1 SAR 289

152.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$27.97 SAR 105

234.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$13.47 SAR 50.5

-21.60%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$414 SAR 1,555

-84.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$7,796 SAR 29.3K

70.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$41.50 SAR 156

21.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$48.82 SAR 183

-14.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$94.6 SAR 355

-18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$91.4 SAR 343

-1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$580 SAR 2,176

-37.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$370 SAR 1,388

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 SAR 3,760

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 SAR 2,539

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,405 SAR 5,271

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$604 SAR 2,268

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$1,487 SAR 5,581

87.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.9

-23.73%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Ad Dammam

$370 30.9% 18.4% $83

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Ad Dammam

$202 16.9% 12.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Ad Dammam

$104 8.7% 51.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Ad Dammam

$225 18.8% 35.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Ad Dammam

$124 10.4% 6.4% $7.5

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Ad Dammam

$118 9.9% 4.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Ad Dammam

$55 4.6% 161% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Dhahran and $580 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays 87% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Dhahran vs $35.00 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $202 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

Same time as Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

903,312

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Ad Dammam 16 km

From you

Dhahran
Ad Dammam

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

Dhahran vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Dhahran. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Dhahran, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $361 in Dhahran versus $580 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Dhahran. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,317 per month in Dhahran versus $1,198 in Ad Dammam – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,198 in Ad Dammam versus $1,317 in Dhahran, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Dhahran. The gap between the two cities makes Ad Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Dhahran and Ad Dammam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Dhahran. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.