Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,395 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,395 in Jeddah versus $1,226 in Dammam.

Jeddah $1,395
Dammam $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,167 in Jeddah versus $1,857 in Dammam.

Jeddah $2,167
Dammam $1,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,940 in Jeddah versus $2,488 in Dammam.

Jeddah $2,940
Dammam $2,488

Living in Jeddah is roughly 14% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jeddah is 2% above, Dammam is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.10

$6.49 SAR 24.35

-5.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 SAR 299

$39.23 SAR 147

102.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 SAR 36.03

$7.78 SAR 29.21

23.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

$1.83 SAR 6.87

27.32%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

$1.78 SAR 6.68

49.44%

Cappuccino

$3.78 SAR 14.18

$3.71 SAR 13.94

1.89%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$0.81 SAR 3.02

32.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.28 SAR 1.04

-7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.72 SAR 6.45

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.04 SAR 3.91

27.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$2.32 SAR 8.71

-2.59%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.32

$2.54 SAR 9.52

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 SAR 24.47

$6.79 SAR 25.48

-3.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 SAR 30.09

$7.34 SAR 27.55

9.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 SAR 48.70

$12.93 SAR 48.52

0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.88

$2.36 SAR 8.85

-11.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.60 SAR 6.01

4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$1.62 SAR 6.10

-4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.63 SAR 6.11

2.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.25 SAR 4.67

-6.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.32 SAR 4.94

-3.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$1.35 SAR 5.07

-17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.59 SAR 2.22

-8.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

$2.84 SAR 10.65

49.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.73 SAR 6.51

5.78%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

$2.03 SAR 7.62

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.72

$7.26 SAR 27.23

-9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 SAR 3.34

$1.04 SAR 3.90

-14.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 SAR 207

$40.52 SAR 152

35.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 SAR 11.79

$2.62 SAR 9.83

19.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$1.89 SAR 7.10

-6.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.78 SAR 51.7

$13.55 SAR 50.8

1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.65 SAR 2.42

-1.54%

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

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

43.27%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

-7.36%

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

$91.3 SAR 342

$105 SAR 395

-13.33%

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

$38.64 SAR 145

$33.70 SAR 126

14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$72.2 SAR 271

-7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 SAR 261

$94.5 SAR 354

-26.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.79 SAR 146

$36.96 SAR 139

4.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 SAR 44.58

$14.61 SAR 54.8

-18.69%

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

$786 SAR 2,951

$346 SAR 1,299

127.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

116.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$56.1 SAR 210

32.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$62.8 SAR 236

-10.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 378

$84.0 SAR 315

19.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 SAR 359

$81.3 SAR 305

17.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,048

$440 SAR 1,652

84.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 SAR 2,093

$384 SAR 1,441

45.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 SAR 4,933

$889 SAR 3,337

47.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 SAR 3,237

$627 SAR 2,352

37.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 SAR 6,335

$1,788 SAR 6,708

-5.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 SAR 4,094

$1,073 SAR 4,025

1.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,691 SAR 6,346

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.42

21.95%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$558 40%

Dammam

$384 31.4% 31.1% $174

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$200 14.4%

Dammam

$198 16.1% 1.3% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.1%

Dammam

$211 17.2% 7.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$147 10.6%

Dammam

$128 10.4% 13.1% $19

Eating Out

Jeddah

$129 9.2%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 3.5% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 32.4% $30

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.1%

Dammam

$57 4.6% 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $812 in Jeddah and $440 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80 in Jeddah vs $39 in Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $198 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Dammam

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

903,312

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jeddah Dammam 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

Jeddah vs Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,092 in Jeddah and $1,839 in Dammam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $812 in Jeddah versus $440 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Jeddah versus $346 in Dammam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dammam – a meal for two runs $39 versus $80 in Jeddah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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