Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jonesboro, AR and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $2,110 in Jonesboro, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Jonesboro, AR
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Jonesboro, AR Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Jonesboro, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,110

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jonesboro, AR and in Dhahran

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jonesboro, AR and in Dhahran actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Jonesboro, AR vs $1,317 in Dhahran, rent included.

Jonesboro, AR $2,110
Dhahran $1,317

A couple spends around $2,960 per month in Jonesboro, AR vs $1,671 in Dhahran, rent included.

Jonesboro, AR $2,960
Dhahran $1,671

A family of three spends $3,809 per month in Jonesboro, AR vs $2,026 in Dhahran, rent included.

Jonesboro, AR $3,809
Dhahran $2,026

Jonesboro, AR costs about 60% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jonesboro, AR sits 56% above the global median, while Dhahran is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.13 $27.13

$5.30 SAR 19.90

411.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$39.17 SAR 147

54.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 $10.45

$6.35 SAR 23.81

64.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$4.01 SAR 15.03

22.94%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$0.74 SAR 2.76

198.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.19 SAR 0.70

847.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 $4.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 $6.65

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$0.97 SAR 3.62

246.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.97 SAR 7.41

8.63%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$8.59 SAR 32.23

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-19.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 $11.54

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-16.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.15 SAR 8.07

99.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.39 SAR 5.21

-22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.78 SAR 6.69

66.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.80 SAR 6.74

114.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.50 SAR 5.61

14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.96 SAR 3.61

156.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.85 SAR 3.19

135.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.10 $8.10

$5.57 SAR 20.92

45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 $13.55

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.83 SAR 3.11

36.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.75 $29.75

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.36 SAR 5.12

123.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.47 $28.47

$9.52 SAR 35.73

199.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$0.65 SAR 2.44

29.23%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-39.71%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

24.83%

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

$221 $221

$59.0 SAR 221

273.77%

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

$45.73 $45.73

$42.19 SAR 158

8.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$64.9 SAR 244

10.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 $40.18

$195 SAR 731

-79.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.90 $10.90

$93.5 SAR 351

-88.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$10.56 SAR 39.62

15.34%

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

$763 $763

$65.3 SAR 245

1069.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,367 $8,367

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-36.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 $63.4

$50.6 SAR 190

25.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.22 $36.22

$41.79 SAR 157

-13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$76.9 SAR 289

2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$90.4 SAR 339

18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 $1,134

$361 SAR 1,355

214.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 $860

$453 SAR 1,700

89.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 $1,436

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 $1,140

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,567 $1,567

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,557 $1,557

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,356 $3,356

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

20.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

4.5

41.33%

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

Last update for Jonesboro, AR: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jonesboro, AR

$860 40.7%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 47.3% $406

Eating Out

Jonesboro, AR

$359 17%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 68.4% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jonesboro, AR

$338 16%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 50.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Jonesboro, AR

$316 15%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 26.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Jonesboro, AR

$129 6.1%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Jonesboro, AR

$65 3.1%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 234% $151

Getting Around

Jonesboro, AR

$45 2.1%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 53% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,134 in Jonesboro, AR versus $361 in Dhahran. 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 Jonesboro, AR, 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 $61.0 in Jonesboro, AR versus $39.00 in Dhahran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $231 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jonesboro, AR

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

8 h ahead of Jonesboro, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,576

120,521

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

SAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jonesboro, AR Dhahran 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Jonesboro, AR
Dhahran

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

Jonesboro, AR vs Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jonesboro, AR costs about 60% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,165 per month in Jonesboro, AR and $1,976 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,110 in Jonesboro, AR and $1,317 in Dhahran. That's a gap of about 60%.

Kindergarten costs $763 per month in Jonesboro, AR and $65.3 in Dhahran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Jonesboro, AR at $2,110. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jonesboro, AR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dhahran – 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 Dhahran. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jonesboro, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.