Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,395 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jeddah and in Riyadh

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Jeddah vs $1,738 in Riyadh, rent included.

Jeddah $1,395
Riyadh $1,738

A couple spends around $2,167 per month in Jeddah vs $2,587 in Riyadh, rent included.

Jeddah $2,167
Riyadh $2,587

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Jeddah vs $3,437 in Riyadh, rent included.

Jeddah $2,940
Riyadh $3,437

Jeddah is about 20% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jeddah and Riyadh sit above the global median – Jeddah by 2%, Riyadh by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.10

$8.09 SAR 30.38

-23.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 SAR 299

$65.3 SAR 245

21.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 SAR 36.03

$8.18 SAR 30.69

17.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

$2.16 SAR 8.12

7.87%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-10.44%

Cappuccino

$3.78 SAR 14.18

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-12.09%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$0.85 SAR 3.18

25.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-4.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.31 SAR 4.93

1.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-4.64%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.32

$3.04 SAR 11.41

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 SAR 24.47

$10.77 SAR 40.41

-39.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 SAR 30.09

$9.38 SAR 35.18

-14.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 SAR 48.70

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-13.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.88

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-26.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-12.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-2.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.18 SAR 4.43

-0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.28 SAR 4.82

-0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-37.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.58 SAR 2.17

-6.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-47.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.82 SAR 6.83

0.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

$2.47 SAR 9.28

2.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.72

$7.85 SAR 29.46

-16.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 SAR 3.34

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-14.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 SAR 207

$38.07 SAR 143

44.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 SAR 11.79

$3.13 SAR 11.75

0.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$1.91 SAR 7.16

-7.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.78 SAR 51.7

$13.31 SAR 49.93

3.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.60 SAR 2.26

6.67%

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

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

48.46%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-2.55%

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

$91.3 SAR 342

$108 SAR 404

-15.15%

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

$38.64 SAR 145

$29.62 SAR 111

30.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$71.0 SAR 266

-5.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 SAR 261

$83.0 SAR 312

-16.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.79 SAR 146

$57.3 SAR 215

-32.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 SAR 44.58

$13.31 SAR 49.96

-10.74%

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

$786 SAR 2,951

$554 SAR 2,077

42.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

64.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$57.7 SAR 217

29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$54.4 SAR 204

2.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 378

$104 SAR 391

-3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 SAR 359

$105 SAR 393

-8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,048

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 SAR 2,093

$833 SAR 3,128

-33.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 SAR 4,934

$2,166 SAR 8,127

-39.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 SAR 3,237

$1,276 SAR 4,788

-32.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 SAR 6,335

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-39.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 SAR 4,094

$1,718 SAR 6,446

-36.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,691 SAR 6,346

$2,052 SAR 7,702

-17.60%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$558 40%

Riyadh

$833 48% 49.5% $276

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$200 14.4%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 20.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.1%

Riyadh

$208 12% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$147 10.6%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 1.8% $2.7

Eating Out

Jeddah

$129 9.2%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 13% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 17.4% $16

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.1%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 22.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Jeddah versus $1,149 in Riyadh. 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 21% higher in Riyadh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Jeddah versus $65 in Riyadh. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Jeddah vs $241 in Riyadh – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

Same time as Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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 Riyadh 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,395 in Jeddah, $1,738 in Riyadh – Jeddah comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Jeddah and $2,606 in Riyadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Jeddah and $65 in Riyadh. 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 $1,738 in Riyadh. That makes Jeddah about 20% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,395 in Jeddah and $1,738 in Riyadh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Jeddah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,395 in Jeddah to $1,738 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Jeddah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.