Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Saudi Arabia

Name: Saudi Arabia
Address: SA

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Saudi Arabia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,284 in Saudi Arabia.

Italy $1,843
Saudi Arabia $1,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,916 in Saudi Arabia.

Italy $2,816
Saudi Arabia $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,549 in Saudi Arabia.

Italy $3,788
Saudi Arabia $2,549

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $674–$1,738 in Saudi Arabia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 44% more expensive than in Saudi Arabia on average.

Italy (35% above) and Saudi Arabia (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.33

$6.74 SAR 25.28

203.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$40.36 SAR 151

96.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$8.14 SAR 30.53

36.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.95

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.78 SAR 14.19

-46.03%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$0.75 SAR 2.83

313.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.27 SAR 1.02

418.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.70 SAR 6.39

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.11 SAR 4.17

114.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.21 SAR 8.30

31.22%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$2.67 SAR 10.01

52.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.63

$7.68 SAR 28.79

127.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$7.86 SAR 29.48

59.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.07

$13.44 SAR 50.4

50.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.16 SAR 8.10

19.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.79 SAR 6.70

22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.73 SAR 6.48

54.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.69 SAR 6.34

93.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.31 SAR 4.91

45.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.33 SAR 4.99

36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.27 SAR 4.76

23.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.62 SAR 2.32

-11.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 SAR 8.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.00

$7.32 SAR 27.44

-8.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.16

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.10 SAR 4.12

73.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.92

$38.07 SAR 143

14.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$2.74 SAR 10.26

105.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.70 SAR 10.12

-36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.14

$13.49 SAR 50.6

149.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$0.60 SAR 2.26

238.33%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

15.98%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

71.21%

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

$227 €203

$97.9 SAR 367

131.50%

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

$11.59 €10.39

$31.85 SAR 119

-63.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.22

$67.1 SAR 252

-54.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.39

$79.8 SAR 300

-35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.24

$39.07 SAR 147

-39.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$13.92 SAR 52.2

-23.85%

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

$568 €509

$458 SAR 1,718

23.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

29.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$48.43 SAR 182

86.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.55

$56.7 SAR 213

-32.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$89.5 SAR 336

14.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$86.3 SAR 324

51.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €740

$641 SAR 2,404

28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$460 SAR 1,726

40.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,255

$1,008 SAR 3,781

38.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €945

$699 SAR 2,623

50.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,282

$2,013 SAR 7,551

81.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,062

$1,252 SAR 4,696

83.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,690

$1,864 SAR 6,992

1.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.4

-34.07%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8% 28.8% $186

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1% 40.7% $142

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Saudi Arabia

$128 10% 54.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3% 26.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9% 22.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4% 47.5% $35

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6% 10.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $556 in Saudi Arabia. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,149 in Riyadh.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $1,949 in Saudi Arabia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 31% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 83% more in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

33,000,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Saudi Arabia 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Saudi Arabia

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

Italy vs Saudi Arabia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia comes out about 30% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $556 in Saudi Arabia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Saudi Arabia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.