Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,049 a month against $1,394 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,394

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Abha

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

A single person spends $1,394 per month in Jeddah vs $1,049 in Abha, rent included.

Jeddah $1,394
Abha $1,049

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Jeddah vs $1,747 in Abha, rent included.

Jeddah $2,161
Abha $1,747

A family of three spends $2,928 per month in Jeddah vs $2,444 in Abha, rent included.

Jeddah $2,928
Abha $2,444

Jeddah costs about 33% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jeddah sits 3% above the global median, while Abha is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.69 SAR 25.10

$5.18 SAR 19.45

29.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 SAR 286

$50.7 SAR 190

50.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 SAR 35.88

$7.22 SAR 27.09

32.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 SAR 9.60

$1.64 SAR 6.14

56.10%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$1.30 SAR 4.90

100.00%

Cappuccino

$3.80 SAR 14.26

$3.11 SAR 11.67

22.19%

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

$1.03 SAR 3.87

$0.63 SAR 2.38

63.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.22 SAR 0.82

13.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.53

$1.63 SAR 6.10

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.78

$0.64 SAR 2.39

98.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$1.97 SAR 7.38

16.24%

Eggs

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$3.10 SAR 11.65

-20.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.19

$4.33 SAR 16.27

48.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 SAR 31.23

$7.59 SAR 28.47

9.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 SAR 49.79

$18.40 SAR 69.1

-27.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

$2.08 SAR 7.82

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.94 SAR 7.27

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.84

$1.64 SAR 6.14

-4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

$1.61 SAR 6.05

3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.20

$2.18 SAR 8.18

-48.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 SAR 4.65

$1.26 SAR 4.72

-1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$0.34 SAR 1.27

214.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.88

$0.51 SAR 1.93

-1.96%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.18 SAR 15.70

$4.40 SAR 16.53

-5.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.23 SAR 4.61

42.28%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

$1.43 SAR 5.35

81.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 SAR 24.58

$9.12 SAR 34.21

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 SAR 3.38

$0.85 SAR 3.20

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 SAR 205

$37.06 SAR 139

47.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.09

$2.99 SAR 11.22

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

$2.63 SAR 9.87

-36.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 SAR 53.9

$14.25 SAR 53.5

0.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.42

$0.59 SAR 2.22

8.47%

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

$37.7K SAR 141.6K

$28.7K SAR 107.7K

31.50%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

$19.0K SAR 71.5K

15.73%

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

$88.3 SAR 331

$86.9 SAR 326

1.60%

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

$38.71 SAR 145

$36.53 SAR 137

5.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 SAR 257

$75.9 SAR 285

-9.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 SAR 262

$91.5 SAR 343

-23.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.61 SAR 141

$45.46 SAR 171

-17.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.72 SAR 43.98

$15.73 SAR 59.1

-25.49%

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

$781 SAR 2,930

$211 SAR 792

269.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K SAR 56.8K

$4,216 SAR 15.8K

259.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$30.04 SAR 113

147.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 SAR 211

$69.8 SAR 262

-19.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SAR 372

$96.3 SAR 361

2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 SAR 347

$67.0 SAR 251

37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SAR 3,008

$305 SAR 1,144

163.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,087

$246 SAR 923

126.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 SAR 4,987

$541 SAR 2,030

145.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 SAR 3,244

$570 SAR 2,141

51.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,683 SAR 6,317

$935 SAR 3,511

79.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 SAR 4,201

$1,334 SAR 5,008

-16.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 SAR 6,191

$2,239 SAR 8,402

-26.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-10.17%

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

Last update for Jeddah: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$556 39.9%

Abha

$246 23.5% 55.8% $310

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.5%

Abha

$202 19.3% 0.4% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$196 14%

Abha

$199 19% 2% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.4%

Abha

$118 11.3% 18.3% $27

Eating Out

Jeddah

$133 9.5%

Abha

$104 9.9% 21.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Abha

$123 11.7% 31.7% $30

Getting Around

Jeddah

$70 5%

Abha

$57 5.4% 18.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Jeddah versus $305 in Abha. 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 36% higher in Abha, 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 $76 in Jeddah versus $51 in Abha. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $202 in Abha – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

236,157

💱 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

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Between locations

Jeddah Abha 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
Abha

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

Jeddah vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeddah costs about 33% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,091 per month in Jeddah and $1,574 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $801 in Jeddah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Jeddah and $51 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Abha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,394 in Jeddah and $1,049 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.