Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,394 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,394

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Arar

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 Arar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,394 per month in Jeddah vs $1,185 in Arar, rent included.

Jeddah $1,394
Arar $1,185

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Jeddah vs $1,820 in Arar, rent included.

Jeddah $2,161
Arar $1,820

A family of three spends $2,928 per month in Jeddah vs $2,454 in Arar, rent included.

Jeddah $2,928
Arar $2,454

Jeddah costs about 18% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Jeddah sits 3% above the global median, while Arar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.69 SAR 25.10

$7.45 SAR 27.97

-10.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 SAR 286

$34.32 SAR 129

122.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 SAR 35.88

$6.87 SAR 25.77

39.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 SAR 9.60

$1.75 SAR 6.58

46.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$2.38 SAR 8.92

9.24%

Cappuccino

$3.80 SAR 14.26

$3.04 SAR 11.39

25.00%

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

$1.03 SAR 3.87

$0.81 SAR 3.04

27.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.24 SAR 0.91

4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.53

$1.53 SAR 5.76

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.78

$1.39 SAR 5.22

-8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$2.26 SAR 8.47

1.33%

Eggs

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$2.28 SAR 8.54

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.19

$7.95 SAR 29.85

-18.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 SAR 31.23

$8.74 SAR 32.81

-4.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 SAR 49.79

$13.35 SAR 50.1

-0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

$2.43 SAR 9.12

-14.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.78 SAR 6.67

-2.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.84

$1.73 SAR 6.50

-9.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

$1.39 SAR 5.22

19.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.20

$1.33 SAR 4.98

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 SAR 4.65

$1.43 SAR 5.38

-13.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.35 SAR 5.06

-20.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.88

$0.54 SAR 2.02

-7.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.18 SAR 15.70

$3.18 SAR 11.93

31.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.86 SAR 6.97

-5.91%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

$1.92 SAR 7.21

34.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 SAR 24.58

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 SAR 3.38

$1.12 SAR 4.21

-19.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 SAR 205

$41.17 SAR 155

32.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.09

$2.75 SAR 10.31

17.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

$1.48 SAR 5.57

13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 SAR 53.9

$13.41 SAR 50.3

7.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.42

$0.68 SAR 2.56

-5.88%

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

$37.7K SAR 141.6K

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

27.33%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

-5.09%

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

$88.3 SAR 331

$111 SAR 416

-20.38%

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

$38.71 SAR 145

$28.89 SAR 108

33.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 SAR 257

$60.5 SAR 227

13.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 SAR 262

$73.8 SAR 277

-5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.61 SAR 141

Cinema Ticket

$11.72 SAR 43.98

$13.55 SAR 50.9

-13.51%

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

$781 SAR 2,930

$394 SAR 1,481

97.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K SAR 56.8K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

44.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$39.59 SAR 149

88.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 SAR 211

$50.1 SAR 188

12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SAR 372

$110 SAR 413

-9.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 SAR 347

$75.1 SAR 282

22.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SAR 3,008

$627 SAR 2,355

27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,087

$373 SAR 1,400

49.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 SAR 4,987

$812 SAR 3,048

63.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 SAR 3,244

$701 SAR 2,632

23.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,683 SAR 6,317

$1,731 SAR 6,496

-2.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 SAR 4,201

$1,161 SAR 4,356

-3.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 SAR 6,191

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Arar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$556 39.9%

Arar

$373 31.5% 32.9% $183

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.5%

Arar

$210 17.8% 4.5% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$196 14%

Arar

$200 16.9% 2.4% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.4%

Arar

$124 10.4% 14.7% $21

Eating Out

Jeddah

$133 9.5%

Arar

$121 10.2% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Arar

$101 8.5% 8.1% $7.6

Getting Around

Jeddah

$70 5%

Arar

$56 4.7% 20.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Jeddah versus $627 in Arar. 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 $76 in Jeddah versus $34 in Arar. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $210 in Arar – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

167,057

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Arar 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,394 in Jeddah, $1,185 in Arar – Arar comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,091 per month in Jeddah and $1,777 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $627 there versus $801 in Jeddah.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $781 per month in Jeddah and $394 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,394 in Jeddah and $1,185 in Arar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Arar – 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.