Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khamis Mushayt and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,113 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
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Khamis Mushayt Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,113

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Khamis Mushayt $1,113
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,645 in Khamis Mushayt versus $2,575 in Riyadh.

Khamis Mushayt $1,645
Riyadh $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,178 in Khamis Mushayt versus $3,413 in Riyadh.

Khamis Mushayt $2,178
Riyadh $3,413

Living in Khamis Mushayt costs roughly 36% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Khamis Mushayt is 18% below, Riyadh is 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 SAR 17.11

$8.20 SAR 30.79

-44.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.11 SAR 121

$65.6 SAR 246

-51.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 SAR 25.87

$8.05 SAR 30.20

-14.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$2.10 SAR 7.87

-18.10%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

$2.86 SAR 10.74

-25.87%

Cappuccino

$2.94 SAR 11.04

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-33.63%

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

$0.68 SAR 2.56

$0.87 SAR 3.28

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 SAR 0.79

$0.33 SAR 1.25

-36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.80 SAR 6.75

-9.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SAR 1.46

$1.29 SAR 4.83

-69.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 SAR 12.31

$2.34 SAR 8.80

40.17%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$3.11 SAR 11.67

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 SAR 24.06

$10.65 SAR 39.96

-39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 SAR 20.80

$9.36 SAR 35.12

-40.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 SAR 47.89

$15.07 SAR 56.6

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 SAR 8.35

$2.92 SAR 10.95

-23.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.32

$1.95 SAR 7.32

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.02

$2.49 SAR 9.35

-35.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.02

$1.70 SAR 6.39

-5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 SAR 4.56

$1.18 SAR 4.43

2.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-1.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$1.75 SAR 6.58

-26.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 SAR 1.96

$0.53 SAR 2.00

-1.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$7.91 SAR 29.69

-67.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.73 SAR 6.51

2.31%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

$2.39 SAR 8.97

-8.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$7.85 SAR 29.45

-13.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 SAR 3.47

$1.03 SAR 3.86

-10.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.04 SAR 132

$36.93 SAR 139

-5.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 SAR 10.09

$3.22 SAR 12.10

-16.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 SAR 7.14

$1.91 SAR 7.18

-0.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.69 SAR 51.4

$13.08 SAR 49.10

4.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.42

$0.64 SAR 2.41

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

$32.9K SAR 123.6K

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

23.76%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

0.31%

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

$103 SAR 386

$105 SAR 394

-2.18%

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

$32.00 SAR 120

$29.43 SAR 110

8.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 SAR 223

$69.3 SAR 260

-14.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.6 SAR 291

$77.4 SAR 291

0.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 SAR 49.93

$14.00 SAR 52.6

-5.00%

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

$443 SAR 1,662

$555 SAR 2,082

-20.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.2K

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

-40.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.84 SAR 161

$58.3 SAR 219

-26.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.1 SAR 233

$53.8 SAR 202

15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 SAR 375

$104 SAR 391

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 SAR 323

$104 SAR 391

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 SAR 1,818

$1,138 SAR 4,270

-57.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 SAR 1,333

$842 SAR 3,160

-57.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 SAR 3,524

$2,159 SAR 8,102

-56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 SAR 2,069

$1,263 SAR 4,739

-56.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,026 SAR 7,605

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

-25.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 SAR 4,257

$1,655 SAR 6,212

-31.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 SAR 5,880

$2,088 SAR 7,837

-24.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

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

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Khamis Mushayt

$355 31.9%

Riyadh

$842 48.5% 137% $487

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khamis Mushayt

$194 17.4%

Riyadh

$204 11.7% 5% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Khamis Mushayt

$182 16.3%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 32.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Khamis Mushayt

$131 11.8%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 10.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Khamis Mushayt

$104 9.4%

Riyadh

$105 6.1% 1.1% $1.2

Eating Out

Khamis Mushayt

$96 8.6%

Riyadh

$148 8.5% 54% $52

Getting Around

Khamis Mushayt

$51 4.6%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 5.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $484 in Khamis Mushayt and $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 33% 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 in Khamis Mushayt vs $66 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $241 per month, with Khamis Mushayt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

Same time as Khamis Mushayt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

430,828

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Khamis Mushayt Riyadh 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Khamis Mushayt
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

Khamis Mushayt vs Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khamis Mushayt wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Riyadh. 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 25% lower in Khamis Mushayt. 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: $484 in Khamis Mushayt versus $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Khamis Mushayt runs roughly 5% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $443 in Khamis Mushayt versus $555 in Riyadh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Khamis Mushayt 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, Khamis Mushayt and Riyadh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Khamis Mushayt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.