Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jubail and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jubail 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 Jubail and in Riyadh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Jubail versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Jubail $1,100
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Jubail versus $2,587 in Riyadh.

Jubail $1,720
Riyadh $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Jubail versus $3,437 in Riyadh.

Jubail $2,339
Riyadh $3,437

Living in Jubail costs roughly 37% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jubail is 19% below, Riyadh is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 SAR 25.61

$8.09 SAR 30.37

-15.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 SAR 148

$65.3 SAR 245

-39.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 SAR 34.03

$8.18 SAR 30.69

10.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.22

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-11.11%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-22.90%

Cappuccino

$3.99 SAR 14.98

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-7.21%

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

$1.00 SAR 3.74

$0.85 SAR 3.18

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-6.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-18.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 SAR 5.45

$1.31 SAR 4.93

10.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-31.65%

Eggs

$2.06 SAR 7.74

$3.04 SAR 11.41

-32.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 SAR 36.86

$10.77 SAR 40.41

-8.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.17

$9.38 SAR 35.18

-31.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 SAR 45.58

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-18.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-7.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-36.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.35

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.18 SAR 4.43

9.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.25

$1.28 SAR 4.82

9.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.58 SAR 2.16

-6.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.27

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-63.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.21

$1.82 SAR 6.83

20.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.63

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-17.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 SAR 24.91

$7.85 SAR 29.46

-15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.04 SAR 3.91

25.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.90 SAR 89.7

$38.07 SAR 143

-37.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$3.13 SAR 11.75

3.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$1.91 SAR 7.16

43.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$13.31 SAR 49.93

1.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$0.60 SAR 2.26

1.67%

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

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

2.27%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-2.47%

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

$80.1 SAR 301

$108 SAR 404

-25.50%

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

$27.36 SAR 103

$29.62 SAR 111

-7.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 SAR 248

$71.0 SAR 266

-6.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 SAR 391

$83.0 SAR 312

25.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.93 SAR 150

$57.3 SAR 215

-30.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 SAR 51.0

$13.31 SAR 49.95

2.03%

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

$178 SAR 668

$554 SAR 2,077

-67.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,690 SAR 28.9K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-23.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.14 SAR 158

$57.7 SAR 217

-26.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 SAR 222

$54.4 SAR 204

8.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 SAR 300

$104 SAR 391

-23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$105 SAR 393

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 SAR 1,591

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-63.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 SAR 1,105

$833 SAR 3,128

-64.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 SAR 2,502

$2,166 SAR 8,127

-69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 SAR 1,951

$1,276 SAR 4,787

-59.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-1.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,396 SAR 5,240

$1,718 SAR 6,445

-18.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,605 SAR 6,022

$2,052 SAR 7,701

-21.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.62

5.54

1.44%

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

Last update for Jubail: 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

Jubail

$295 26.8%

Riyadh

$833 48% 183% $539

Groceries & Markets

Jubail

$199 18.1%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 21.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jubail

$174 15.8%

Riyadh

$208 12% 19.9% $35

Eating Out

Jubail

$135 12.3%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 7.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Jubail

$131 11.9%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 16.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Jubail

$121 11%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 19.7% $24

Getting Around

Jubail

$46 4.2%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 19.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Jubail and $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 28% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39 in Jubail vs $65 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $241 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jubail

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

Same time as Jubail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,778

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

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Jubail Riyadh 390 km

From you

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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

Jubail vs Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Riyadh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Jubail. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $424 in Jubail versus $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,100 per month in Jubail versus $1,738 in Riyadh – Jubail is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Jubail runs roughly 37% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Jubail is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Jubail gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.