Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,374 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mecca and in Jeddah

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Mecca vs $1,374 in Jeddah, rent included.

Mecca $936
Jeddah $1,374

A couple spends around $1,453 per month in Mecca vs $2,148 in Jeddah, rent included.

Mecca $1,453
Jeddah $2,148

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Mecca vs $2,922 in Jeddah, rent included.

Mecca $1,970
Jeddah $2,922

Mecca is about 32% cheaper than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mecca sits 31% below the global median, while Jeddah is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 SAR 17.14

$6.04 SAR 22.67

-24.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.89 SAR 101

$80.3 SAR 301

-66.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 SAR 26.52

$9.50 SAR 35.65

-25.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

$2.38 SAR 8.95

-34.87%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-43.35%

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$3.73 SAR 13.98

-30.03%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.51

$0.97 SAR 3.62

-30.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.26 SAR 0.98

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.68 SAR 6.32

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 SAR 3.85

$1.26 SAR 4.71

-18.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$2.34 SAR 8.76

-9.83%

Eggs

$2.52 SAR 9.46

$2.43 SAR 9.13

3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 SAR 22.20

$6.36 SAR 23.88

-6.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.33

$8.30 SAR 31.14

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.59

$13.23 SAR 49.66

-2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.13 SAR 7.98

-1.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.62 SAR 6.07

-0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.69 SAR 6.32

-13.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.12 SAR 4.22

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.26 SAR 4.71

3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.07 SAR 4.01

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.86

$0.53 SAR 1.99

-5.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-3.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$1.76 SAR 6.59

5.11%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$2.49 SAR 9.36

-36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$6.71 SAR 25.17

1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$0.96 SAR 3.61

39.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SAR 208

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$3.16 SAR 11.85

-23.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.76 SAR 6.62

-0.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 SAR 49.33

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-5.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.64 SAR 2.41

-1.56%

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

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

0.49%

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

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

-3.77%

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

$66.9 SAR 251

$90.4 SAR 339

-26.03%

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

$35.35 SAR 133

$38.29 SAR 144

-7.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 SAR 237

$68.0 SAR 255

-7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 SAR 303

$78.0 SAR 293

3.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.52 SAR 160

$38.19 SAR 143

11.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 SAR 44.88

$11.91 SAR 44.69

0.42%

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

$775 SAR 2,907

$769 SAR 2,887

0.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

-3.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.57 SAR 50.9

$72.4 SAR 272

-81.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SAR 214

$56.1 SAR 211

1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.67 SAR 149

$99.9 SAR 375

-60.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 SAR 200

$93.6 SAR 351

-43.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 2,001

$789 SAR 2,961

-32.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 SAR 1,088

$532 SAR 1,998

-45.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,114

$1,427 SAR 5,356

-41.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 SAR 1,963

$832 SAR 3,121

-37.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

$1,767 SAR 6,631

260.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 SAR 8,624

$1,143 SAR 4,290

101.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 SAR 4,063

$1,665 SAR 6,248

-34.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.39

-2.60%

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

Last update for Mecca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mecca

$290 31%

Jeddah

$532 38.7% 83.6% $242

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$193 20.6%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 4% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$165 17.7%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 18.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$105 11.2%

Jeddah

$102 7.4% 2.7% $2.8

Eating Out

Mecca

$93 9.9%

Jeddah

$126 9.2% 36.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$74 7.9%

Jeddah

$145 10.5% 97% $71

Getting Around

Mecca

$17 * 1.8%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 331% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Mecca versus $789 in Jeddah. 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 54% higher in Jeddah, 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 $27.00 in Mecca versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $201 – making Mecca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

Same time as Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

3,430,697

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Mecca Jeddah 69 km

From you

Mecca
Jeddah

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

Mecca vs Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Mecca, $1,374 in Jeddah – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,404 per month in Mecca and $2,062 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Mecca and $80.0 in Jeddah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Jeddah, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mecca, where all-in costs run around $936, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Mecca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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