Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,374 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Al-Ula

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 Al-Ula actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,374 per month in Jeddah vs $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Jeddah $1,374
Al-Ula $1,184

A couple spends around $2,148 per month in Jeddah vs $1,757 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Jeddah $2,148
Al-Ula $1,757

A family of three spends $2,922 per month in Jeddah vs $2,330 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Jeddah $2,922
Al-Ula $2,330

Jeddah costs about 16% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Jeddah sits 2% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.67

$6.11 SAR 22.91

-1.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 SAR 301

$36.80 SAR 138

118.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 SAR 35.65

$7.96 SAR 29.87

19.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 SAR 8.95

$1.89 SAR 7.08

25.93%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$2.30 SAR 8.62

14.35%

Cappuccino

$3.73 SAR 13.98

$3.17 SAR 11.89

17.67%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$0.86 SAR 3.24

12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$1.27 SAR 4.75

-0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.76

$2.30 SAR 8.62

1.74%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$2.32 SAR 8.72

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.88

$7.39 SAR 27.75

-13.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.30 SAR 31.14

$8.07 SAR 30.27

2.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$12.67 SAR 47.54

4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

$2.25 SAR 8.45

-5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.33

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.07

$1.58 SAR 5.94

2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.32

$1.57 SAR 5.89

7.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.23 SAR 4.61

-8.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$1.22 SAR 4.58

-12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 1.99

$0.54 SAR 2.02

-1.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

$2.86 SAR 10.71

47.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-1.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 SAR 9.36

$2.11 SAR 7.91

18.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 SAR 25.17

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-0.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-11.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SAR 208

$36.77 SAR 138

50.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 SAR 11.85

$2.61 SAR 9.80

21.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 SAR 52.2

$13.14 SAR 49.29

5.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.65 SAR 2.44

-1.54%

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

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

7.32%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

3.06%

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

$90.4 SAR 339

$106 SAR 397

-14.66%

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

$38.29 SAR 144

$33.21 SAR 125

15.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 SAR 255

$65.8 SAR 247

3.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 SAR 293

$82.4 SAR 309

-5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.19 SAR 143

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 SAR 44.69

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-10.65%

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

$769 SAR 2,887

$425 SAR 1,596

80.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

106.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 SAR 272

$42.74 SAR 160

69.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 SAR 211

$55.4 SAR 208

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SAR 375

$96.2 SAR 361

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 SAR 351

$87.6 SAR 329

6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 SAR 2,961

$576 SAR 2,162

36.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 SAR 1,998

$372 SAR 1,397

43.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 SAR 5,356

$832 SAR 3,121

71.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$572 SAR 2,147

45.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,767 SAR 6,631

$2,323 SAR 8,718

-23.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,290

$1,382 SAR 5,187

-17.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 SAR 6,248

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.54

-2.71%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$532 38.7%

Al-Ula

$372 31.5% 30.1% $160

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Al-Ula

$203 17.1% 0.8% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Al-Ula

$205 17.3% 4.2% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.5%

Al-Ula

$127 10.7% 12.4% $18

Eating Out

Jeddah

$126 9.2%

Al-Ula

$115 9.7% 8.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$102 7.4%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 7.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Al-Ula

$53 4.5% 25.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Jeddah versus $576 in Al-Ula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah versus $37.00 in Al-Ula. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $203 in Al-Ula – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

32,413

💱 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

Jeddah Al-Ula 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
Al-Ula

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 Al-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,374 in Jeddah, $1,184 in Al-Ula – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,062 per month in Jeddah and $1,776 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $769 per month in Jeddah and $425 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Jeddah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-Ula – 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 Al-Ula. 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.