Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Jeddah

For one person, living costs are similar in Dhahran and in Jeddah: $1,317 and $1,374 a month, rent and utilities included.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhahran and in Jeddah

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 Jeddah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,374 in Jeddah, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Jeddah $1,374

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,148 in Jeddah, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Jeddah $2,148

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $2,922 in Jeddah, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Jeddah $2,922

Dhahran is about 4% cheaper than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Dhahran sits 2% below the global median, while Jeddah is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$6.04 SAR 22.67

-12.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$80.3 SAR 301

-51.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$9.50 SAR 35.65

-33.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$2.38 SAR 8.95

-23.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-39.54%

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$3.73 SAR 13.98

7.51%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$0.97 SAR 3.62

-23.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.26 SAR 0.98

-26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$1.26 SAR 4.71

-23.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$2.34 SAR 8.76

-15.81%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.43 SAR 9.13

59.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$6.36 SAR 23.88

35.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$8.30 SAR 31.14

31.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$13.23 SAR 49.66

4.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.13 SAR 7.98

0.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$1.62 SAR 6.07

9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$1.69 SAR 6.32

6.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.12 SAR 4.22

33.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.26 SAR 4.71

-23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.07 SAR 4.01

84.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.53 SAR 1.99

60.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

$4.21 SAR 15.81

14.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.76 SAR 6.59

-6.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

$2.49 SAR 9.36

-1.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$6.71 SAR 25.17

-16.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.96 SAR 3.61

-13.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SAR 208

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$3.16 SAR 11.85

-56.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$1.76 SAR 6.62

84.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-31.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.64 SAR 2.41

1.56%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

12.64%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

-5.77%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$90.4 SAR 339

-34.72%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$38.29 SAR 144

10.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$68.0 SAR 255

-4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$78.0 SAR 293

149.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$38.19 SAR 143

144.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$11.91 SAR 44.69

-11.34%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$769 SAR 2,887

-91.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

-20.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$72.4 SAR 272

-30.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$56.1 SAR 211

-25.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$99.9 SAR 375

-22.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$93.6 SAR 351

-3.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$789 SAR 2,961

-54.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$532 SAR 1,998

-14.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 SAR 5,356

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,767 SAR 6,631

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,290

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$1,665 SAR 6,248

67.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.39

-16.51%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Jeddah

$532 38.7% 17.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 13.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Jeddah

$102 7.4% 52.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 18.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Jeddah

$145 10.5% 24% $28

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Jeddah

$126 9.2% 11.7% $13

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 240% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Dhahran versus $789 in Jeddah. 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 67% higher in Dhahran, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Dhahran versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Dhahran vs $201 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

Same time as Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

3,430,697

💱 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 Jeddah 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeddah costs about 4% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Dhahran and $2,062 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhahran, 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 $1,317 in Dhahran and $1,374 in Jeddah. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $769 in Jeddah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dhahran – 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 Dhahran. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.