Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khamis Mushayt and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,207 a month against $1,405 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
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Khamis Mushayt Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,207

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Khamis Mushayt and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Khamis Mushayt versus $1,405 in Al Khobar.

Khamis Mushayt $1,207
Al Khobar $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Khamis Mushayt versus $2,186 in Al Khobar.

Khamis Mushayt $1,692
Al Khobar $2,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,176 in Khamis Mushayt versus $2,967 in Al Khobar.

Khamis Mushayt $2,176
Al Khobar $2,967

Living in Khamis Mushayt costs roughly 14% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Khamis Mushayt is 11% below, Al Khobar is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 SAR 16.97

$6.53 SAR 24.51

-30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.95 SAR 120

$59.2 SAR 222

-46.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SAR 26.36

$7.86 SAR 29.50

-10.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 SAR 6.66

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-35.04%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.69

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$2.91 SAR 10.92

$4.48 SAR 16.79

-35.04%

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

$0.69 SAR 2.59

$0.87 SAR 3.25

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.87

$0.38 SAR 1.42

-39.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$1.70 SAR 6.38

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 SAR 1.43

$1.28 SAR 4.80

-70.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 SAR 12.15

$2.46 SAR 9.24

31.71%

Eggs

$2.41 SAR 9.03

$2.32 SAR 8.69

3.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 SAR 23.24

$7.15 SAR 26.84

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 SAR 20.98

$10.24 SAR 38.43

-45.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$11.69 SAR 43.86

15.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 SAR 8.02

$2.62 SAR 9.83

-18.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.76 SAR 6.59

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-19.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-11.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.41

$1.36 SAR 5.11

-13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$1.66 SAR 6.24

-19.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.66 SAR 6.23

-28.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.53 SAR 2.01

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.81 SAR 10.53

$2.63 SAR 9.88

6.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$1.59 SAR 5.98

3.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SAR 7.85

$1.84 SAR 6.91

13.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 SAR 25.66

$6.66 SAR 25.00

2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$0.73 SAR 2.75

47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.06 SAR 158

$67.2 SAR 252

-37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$3.23 SAR 12.14

-19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-36.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 SAR 55.0

$6.48 SAR 24.31

126.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.63 SAR 2.37

1.59%

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

$41.8K SAR 156.9K

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

-36.90%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

-0.56%

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

$105 SAR 395

$99.6 SAR 374

5.84%

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

$32.67 SAR 123

$33.32 SAR 125

-1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 SAR 271

$70.5 SAR 265

2.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.6 SAR 306

$82.0 SAR 308

-0.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.23 SAR 140

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 SAR 49.43

$15.07 SAR 56.6

-12.61%

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

$475 SAR 1,782

$589 SAR 2,210

-19.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,865 SAR 25.8K

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

-19.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 SAR 169

$62.0 SAR 233

-27.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 SAR 189

$83.0 SAR 312

-39.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 396

$97.2 SAR 365

8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 SAR 312

$93.9 SAR 352

-11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 SAR 1,990

$630 SAR 2,363

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SAR 1,594

$499 SAR 1,873

-14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$849 SAR 3,187

$1,187 SAR 4,454

-28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 SAR 1,941

$860 SAR 3,226

-39.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,044 SAR 7,669

$2,404 SAR 9,020

-14.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 SAR 5,911

$1,444 SAR 5,417

9.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,606 SAR 6,027

$1,829 SAR 6,864

-12.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.88

-5.78%

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

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Khamis Mushayt

$425 35.2%

Al Khobar

$499 35.5% 17.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khamis Mushayt

$210 17.4%

Al Khobar

$203 14.5% 3.3% $7

Groceries & Markets

Khamis Mushayt

$182 15.1%

Al Khobar

$217 15.5% 19.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Khamis Mushayt

$128 10.6%

Al Khobar

$151 10.8% 18.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Khamis Mushayt

$108 8.9%

Al Khobar

$112 8% 3.9% $4.3

Eating Out

Khamis Mushayt

$96 7.9%

Al Khobar

$135 9.6% 40.3% $39

Getting Around

Khamis Mushayt

$58 4.8%

Al Khobar

$87 6.2% 51.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $530 in Khamis Mushayt and $630 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 14% 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: $32.00 in Khamis Mushayt vs $59.0 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $217 per month, with Khamis Mushayt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Khamis Mushayt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

430,828

219,679

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Khamis Mushayt Al Khobar 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Khamis Mushayt
Al Khobar

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

Khamis Mushayt vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khamis Mushayt wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Khamis Mushayt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Al Khobar. 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: $530 in Khamis Mushayt versus $630 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Khamis Mushayt runs roughly 60% less than in Al Khobar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $475 in Khamis Mushayt versus $589 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Khamis Mushayt versus $1,405 in Al Khobar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khamis Mushayt but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. The gap between the two cities makes Khamis Mushayt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Khamis Mushayt and Al Khobar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Khamis Mushayt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.