Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,738 in Riyadh, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Riyadh $1,738

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,567 in Riyadh, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Riyadh $2,567

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $3,396 in Riyadh, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Riyadh $3,396

Dhahran is about 24% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Dhahran sits 2% below the global median, while Riyadh is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$8.09 SAR 30.35

-34.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$66.3 SAR 249

-40.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$8.16 SAR 30.64

-22.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$2.08 SAR 7.79

-12.98%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

$2.98 SAR 11.19

-46.64%

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$4.25 SAR 15.96

-5.65%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$0.91 SAR 3.41

-18.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.32 SAR 1.20

-40.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$1.26 SAR 4.72

-23.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$2.43 SAR 9.13

-18.93%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$3.13 SAR 11.76

23.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$10.69 SAR 40.11

-19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$9.44 SAR 35.41

15.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$15.19 SAR 57.0

-8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.84 SAR 10.65

-24.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.96 SAR 7.36

-29.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$2.53 SAR 9.51

-29.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$1.70 SAR 6.37

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.18 SAR 4.44

27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.28 SAR 4.81

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.70 SAR 6.37

15.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.57 SAR 2.12

49.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

$7.83 SAR 29.38

-38.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.80 SAR 6.77

-8.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

$2.39 SAR 8.95

2.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$7.50 SAR 28.15

-25.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-22.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.34 SAR 140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$3.11 SAR 11.69

-56.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$1.81 SAR 6.79

79.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$13.23 SAR 49.66

-28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$34.7K SAR 130.1K

53.57%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$22.9K SAR 85.8K

-9.57%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$106 SAR 396

-44.07%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$29.61 SAR 111

42.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$70.7 SAR 265

-8.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$91.6 SAR 344

112.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$56.9 SAR 214

64.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$13.09 SAR 49.11

-19.33%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$523 SAR 1,963

-87.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

29.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$58.8 SAR 221

-14.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$53.1 SAR 199

-21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$101 SAR 379

-23.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$103 SAR 386

-12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$1,179 SAR 4,425

-69.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$832 SAR 3,122

-45.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 SAR 8,359

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 SAR 4,595

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 SAR 11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 SAR 7,177

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$2,067 SAR 7,757

34.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.54

-18.77%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Riyadh

$832 47.9% 83.7% $379

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 4.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 45.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Riyadh

$206 11.8% 23.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Riyadh

$142 8.2% 21.6% $25

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 28.2% $32

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 157% $33

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 $1,179 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 35% 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 $66.0 in Riyadh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $242 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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

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Dhahran Riyadh 390 km

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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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 32% 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 $2,607 in Riyadh. 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 $1,738 in Riyadh. That's a gap of about 32%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $523 in Riyadh. 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 Riyadh at $1,738. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhahran costs $1,317 versus $1,738 in Riyadh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.