Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Jubail

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,097 in Jubail, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index

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Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mecca and in Jubail

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 Jubail actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Mecca versus $1,097 in Jubail.

Mecca $936
Jubail $1,097

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,453 in Mecca versus $1,722 in Jubail.

Mecca $1,453
Jubail $1,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Mecca versus $2,347 in Jubail.

Mecca $1,970
Jubail $2,347

Living in Mecca costs roughly 15% less than in Jubail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mecca 31% lower, Jubail 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 SAR 17.14

$6.64 SAR 24.91

-31.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.89 SAR 101

$39.75 SAR 149

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 SAR 26.52

$9.15 SAR 34.35

-22.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

$1.84 SAR 6.89

-15.76%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$2.31 SAR 8.68

-35.50%

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$4.03 SAR 15.12

-35.24%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.51

$0.98 SAR 3.66

-31.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.26 SAR 0.96

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.57 SAR 5.91

11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 SAR 3.85

$1.43 SAR 5.35

-27.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$1.67 SAR 6.27

26.35%

Eggs

$2.52 SAR 9.46

$2.09 SAR 7.84

20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 SAR 22.20

$9.87 SAR 37.02

-40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.33

$6.22 SAR 23.34

29.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.59

$12.05 SAR 45.21

7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.17 SAR 8.13

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.81 SAR 6.77

-12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.50 SAR 5.63

7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.74 SAR 6.53

-15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.35 SAR 5.05

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.68 SAR 6.30

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.86

$0.56 SAR 2.08

-10.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

$2.89 SAR 10.85

40.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$2.10 SAR 7.89

-11.90%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$1.99 SAR 7.48

-20.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$6.83 SAR 25.62

-0.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$1.35 SAR 5.07

-0.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.42 SAR 91.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$3.29 SAR 12.33

-26.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$2.58 SAR 9.68

-32.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 SAR 49.33

$13.46 SAR 50.5

-2.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.60 SAR 2.26

5.00%

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

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

$43.8K SAR 164.4K

8.40%

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

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

$21.2K SAR 79.5K

-0.31%

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

$66.9 SAR 251

$79.8 SAR 299

-16.21%

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

$35.35 SAR 133

$27.92 SAR 105

26.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 SAR 237

$66.8 SAR 251

-5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 SAR 303

$101 SAR 378

-19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.52 SAR 160

$39.49 SAR 148

7.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 SAR 44.88

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-10.68%

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

$775 SAR 2,907

$179 SAR 672

332.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

$7,698 SAR 28.9K

110.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.57 SAR 50.9

$42.20 SAR 158

-67.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SAR 214

$58.2 SAR 218

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.67 SAR 149

$82.1 SAR 308

-51.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 SAR 200

$85.0 SAR 319

-37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 2,001

$423 SAR 1,589

25.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 SAR 1,088

$297 SAR 1,113

-2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,114

$646 SAR 2,424

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 SAR 1,963

$537 SAR 2,015

-2.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

$2,702 SAR 10.1K

135.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 SAR 8,624

$1,375 SAR 5,161

67.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 SAR 4,063

$1,618 SAR 6,073

-33.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.62

-6.58%

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

Last update for Mecca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jubail: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mecca

$290 31%

Jubail

$297 27% 2.2% $6.5

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$193 20.6%

Jubail

$198 18.1% 2.6% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$165 17.7%

Jubail

$175 15.9% 5.5% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$105 11.2%

Jubail

$127 11.6% 21.8% $23

Eating Out

Mecca

$93 9.9%

Jubail

$134 12.2% 44.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$74 7.9%

Jubail

$120 11% 63.6% $47

Getting Around

Mecca

$17 * 1.8%

Jubail

$46 4.2% 178% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Mecca and $423 in Jubail. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jubail pays 49% 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: $27.00 in Mecca vs $40.00 in Jubail for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $198 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇸🇦 Jubail

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

Same time as Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

337,778

💱 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 Jubail 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mecca
Jubail

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 Jubail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Jubail. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mecca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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: $533 in Mecca versus $423 in Jubail. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Mecca versus $179 in Jubail. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mecca – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $40.00 in Jubail. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $936 in Mecca versus $1,097 in Jubail, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Jubail. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca 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, Mecca and Jubail 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 Mecca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Jubail. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.