Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,395 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Qatif

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Jeddah vs $1,102 in Qatif, rent included.

Jeddah $1,395
Qatif $1,102

A couple spends around $2,167 per month in Jeddah vs $1,640 in Qatif, rent included.

Jeddah $2,167
Qatif $1,640

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Jeddah vs $2,178 in Qatif, rent included.

Jeddah $2,940
Qatif $2,178

Jeddah costs about 27% more than Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jeddah sits 2% above the global median, while Qatif is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.10

$3.50 SAR 13.15

76.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 SAR 299

$34.91 SAR 131

127.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 SAR 36.03

$6.52 SAR 24.48

47.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

$1.88 SAR 7.04

23.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

$2.24 SAR 8.39

18.75%

Cappuccino

$3.78 SAR 14.18

$3.10 SAR 11.63

21.94%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$0.77 SAR 2.89

38.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.19 SAR 0.72

36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$0.91 SAR 3.42

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$1.92 SAR 7.21

17.71%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.32

$2.10 SAR 7.89

18.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 SAR 24.47

$5.90 SAR 22.14

10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 SAR 30.09

$7.90 SAR 29.64

1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 SAR 48.71

$12.64 SAR 47.44

2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.88

$2.29 SAR 8.58

-8.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.71 SAR 6.41

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$1.59 SAR 5.95

-2.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$0.67 SAR 2.52

149.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.08 SAR 4.05

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.13 SAR 4.26

12.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 SAR 4.18

$0.95 SAR 3.58

16.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.55 SAR 2.07

-1.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

$2.60 SAR 9.77

63.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.50 SAR 5.64

22.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

$2.21 SAR 8.31

14.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.73

$6.26 SAR 23.48

5.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 SAR 3.34

$1.09 SAR 4.09

-18.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 SAR 207

$36.50 SAR 137

50.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 SAR 11.79

$2.46 SAR 9.22

27.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$0.55 SAR 2.07

220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.78 SAR 51.7

$13.24 SAR 49.71

4.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.61 SAR 2.29

4.92%

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

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

33.75%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

6.57%

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

$91.3 SAR 342

$104 SAR 388

-11.83%

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

$38.64 SAR 145

$32.15 SAR 121

20.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$59.3 SAR 222

13.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 SAR 261

$79.4 SAR 298

-12.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.79 SAR 146

$21.38 SAR 80.2

81.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 SAR 44.58

$13.07 SAR 49.04

-9.10%

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

$786 SAR 2,951

$264 SAR 992

197.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

111.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$32.16 SAR 121

131.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$21.10 SAR 79.2

165.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 378

$95.5 SAR 358

5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 SAR 359

$90.7 SAR 340

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,049

$586 SAR 2,199

38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 SAR 2,093

$374 SAR 1,402

49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 SAR 4,934

$807 SAR 3,029

62.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 SAR 3,238

$578 SAR 2,171

49.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 SAR 6,335

$943 SAR 3,537

79.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 SAR 4,095

$796 SAR 2,987

37.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,691 SAR 6,346

$2,257 SAR 8,472

-25.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.5

-2.00%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qatif: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$558 40%

Qatif

$374 33.9% 33% $184

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$200 14.4%

Qatif

$185 16.8% 7.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.1%

Qatif

$195 17.7% 1% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$147 10.6%

Qatif

$108 9.8% 26.7% $39

Eating Out

Jeddah

$129 9.2%

Qatif

$89 8% 31.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Qatif

$106 9.6% 13% $12

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.1%

Qatif

$46 4.2% 34.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Jeddah versus $586 in Qatif. 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 33% higher in Qatif, 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 $80 in Jeddah versus $35 in Qatif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $185 – making Qatif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

87,332

💱 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 Qatif 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,395 in Jeddah, $1,102 in Qatif – Qatif comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Jeddah and $1,653 in Qatif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qatif, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $812 in Jeddah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Jeddah and $35 in Qatif. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,395 in Jeddah and $1,102 in Qatif. That makes Qatif about 21% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,395 in Jeddah and $1,102 in Qatif, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Qatif – 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.

For expats, Qatif is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 21% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.