Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,188 a month against $1,327 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,327

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medina and in Ad Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,327 in Medina versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam.

Medina $1,327
Ad Dammam $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,779 in Medina versus $1,803 in Ad Dammam.

Medina $1,779
Ad Dammam $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,231 in Medina versus $2,418 in Ad Dammam.

Medina $2,231
Ad Dammam $2,418

Living in Medina is roughly 12% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Medina 2% lower, Ad Dammam 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-17.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 SAR 121

$34.35 SAR 129

-6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.77

$6.62 SAR 24.84

23.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$1.84 SAR 6.89

-11.96%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SAR 6.31

$2.22 SAR 8.32

-24.32%

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$3.02 SAR 11.33

-13.91%

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

$0.73 SAR 2.72

$0.77 SAR 2.87

-5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.16 SAR 0.59

56.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 SAR 5.57

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-13.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.46

$1.29 SAR 4.84

-28.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$1.88 SAR 7.07

26.06%

Eggs

$2.00 SAR 7.51

$2.12 SAR 7.96

-5.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.35 SAR 20.08

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-28.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.09 SAR 26.61

$7.70 SAR 28.90

-7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 SAR 47.00

$12.77 SAR 47.93

-1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 SAR 8.82

$2.29 SAR 8.59

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 SAR 7.49

$1.63 SAR 6.13

22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.43

$1.64 SAR 6.16

37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.51

$1.55 SAR 5.83

-5.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$1.08 SAR 4.04

26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.95

$1.17 SAR 4.37

12.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 SAR 3.46

$1.25 SAR 4.71

-26.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$0.56 SAR 2.12

25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-68.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

$1.46 SAR 5.49

1.37%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

$2.11 SAR 7.92

-25.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.41 SAR 27.82

$7.80 SAR 29.28

-5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$0.88 SAR 3.30

22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.54 SAR 137

$38.25 SAR 144

-4.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$2.28 SAR 8.57

-40.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.35 SAR 5.08

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.42

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-58.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.43

$0.61 SAR 2.28

6.56%

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

$42.0K SAR 157.8K

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

44.55%

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

$20.5K SAR 76.8K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

-3.59%

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

$147 SAR 552

$130 SAR 489

12.82%

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

$28.09 SAR 105

$32.31 SAR 121

-13.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 SAR 329

$64.2 SAR 241

36.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.4 SAR 294

$70.4 SAR 264

11.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.93 SAR 33.52

$28.59 SAR 107

-68.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 SAR 49.15

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-2.17%

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

$291 SAR 1,091

$414 SAR 1,554

-29.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,499 SAR 20.6K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

-47.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.75 SAR 142

$42.50 SAR 160

-11.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 SAR 196

$48.93 SAR 184

6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 SAR 247

$96.0 SAR 360

-31.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 SAR 258

$92.0 SAR 345

-25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 SAR 2,109

$531 SAR 1,993

5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 SAR 1,931

$376 SAR 1,410

37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 SAR 2,825

$947 SAR 3,553

-20.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SAR 2,102

$665 SAR 2,495

-15.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,284 SAR 8,574

$1,479 SAR 5,552

54.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 SAR 4,966

$779 SAR 2,925

69.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,233 SAR 4,627

$1,508 SAR 5,659

-18.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.9

-29.32%

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

Last update for Medina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$515 38.8%

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6% 27% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$263 19.8%

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1% 13.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$190 14.3%

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7% 4.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$105 7.9%

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2% 7.1% $7.5

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.8%

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6% 9.4% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$101 7.6%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6% 24.5% $25

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $562 in Medina and $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Medina vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $198 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

903,312

💱 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

Medina Ad Dammam 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina
Ad Dammam

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

Medina vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Medina. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Medina. 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: $562 in Medina versus $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,327 per month in Medina versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam – Ad Dammam is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medina runs roughly 4% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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