Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha'il and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,188 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ha'il 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 Ha'il and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,073 in Ha’il versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam.

Ha'il $1,073
Ad Dammam $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,623 in Ha’il versus $1,803 in Ad Dammam.

Ha'il $1,623
Ad Dammam $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Ha’il versus $2,418 in Ad Dammam.

Ha'il $2,174
Ad Dammam $2,418

Living in Ha’il costs roughly 10% less than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ha’il 21% lower, Ad Dammam 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 SAR 20.28

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-19.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.86 SAR 138

$34.35 SAR 129

7.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 SAR 22.17

$6.62 SAR 24.84

-10.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 SAR 4.38

$1.84 SAR 6.89

-36.41%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.77

$3.02 SAR 11.33

-13.91%

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

$0.61 SAR 2.30

$0.77 SAR 2.87

-20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.16 SAR 0.59

43.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 SAR 3.21

$1.29 SAR 4.84

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.05

$1.88 SAR 7.07

Eggs

$1.93 SAR 7.26

$2.12 SAR 7.96

-8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.68 SAR 25.08

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 SAR 33.32

$7.70 SAR 28.91

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.15 SAR 30.58

$12.77 SAR 47.93

-36.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.59

$2.29 SAR 8.59

-34.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 SAR 5.70

$1.63 SAR 6.13

-6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.77

$1.64 SAR 6.16

-22.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.28

$1.55 SAR 5.83

25.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.08 SAR 4.04

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.17 SAR 4.37

37.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.25 SAR 4.71

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 SAR 1.79

$0.56 SAR 2.12

-14.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-37.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.46 SAR 5.49

17.81%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

$2.11 SAR 7.92

-14.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SAR 25.42

$7.80 SAR 29.29

-13.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.43

$0.88 SAR 3.30

3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.03 SAR 135

$38.25 SAR 144

-5.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 SAR 10.04

$2.28 SAR 8.57

17.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.35 SAR 5.08

31.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.27 SAR 49.82

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-4.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.61 SAR 2.28

4.92%

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

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

6.68%

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

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

2.62%

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

$52.8 SAR 198

$130 SAR 489

-59.48%

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

$21.29 SAR 79.9

$32.31 SAR 121

-34.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.84 SAR 172

$64.2 SAR 241

-28.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.0 SAR 248

$70.4 SAR 264

-6.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.26 SAR 98.6

$28.59 SAR 107

-8.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 SAR 55.1

$13.39 SAR 50.3

9.56%

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

$419 SAR 1,571

$414 SAR 1,554

1.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

15.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.92 SAR 161

$42.50 SAR 160

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 SAR 208

$48.93 SAR 184

13.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 SAR 367

$96.0 SAR 360

1.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 SAR 313

$92.0 SAR 345

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 SAR 905

$531 SAR 1,993

-54.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 SAR 1,525

$376 SAR 1,410

8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$947 SAR 3,553

-61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 SAR 2,321

$665 SAR 2,495

-6.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,982 SAR 7,438

$1,479 SAR 5,552

33.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 SAR 4,507

$779 SAR 2,925

54.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,081 SAR 4,056

$1,508 SAR 5,659

-28.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha'il

$406 37.9%

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6% 7.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Ha'il

$179 16.7%

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7% 11% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ha'il

$126 11.7%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha'il

$120 11.2%

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1% 89.1% $107

Eating Out

Ha'il

$96 8.9%

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6% 19% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ha'il

$95 8.9%

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2% 1.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Ha'il

$51 4.8%

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3% 0.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Ha’il and $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Ha’il vs $34 in Ad Dammam. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $198, with Ha’il cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

Same time as Ha'il

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,897

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

Ha'il Ad Dammam 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ha'il
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

Ha'il vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Ha’il. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $241 in Ha’il versus $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,073 per month in Ha’il versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam – Ha’il is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ha’il runs roughly 6% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Ha’il and Ad Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ha’il wins on affordability, Ad Dammam on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.