Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Al Khobar

For one person, living costs are similar in Medina and in Al Khobar: $1,339 and $1,405 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,339

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medina 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 Medina and in Al Khobar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Medina versus $1,405 in Al Khobar.

Medina $1,339
Al Khobar $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,801 in Medina versus $2,186 in Al Khobar.

Medina $1,801
Al Khobar $2,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,263 in Medina versus $2,967 in Al Khobar.

Medina $2,263
Al Khobar $2,967

Living in Medina costs roughly 5% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medina is 1% below, Al Khobar is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.56 SAR 20.86

$6.53 SAR 24.51

-14.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.40 SAR 118

$59.2 SAR 222

-47.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 SAR 29.11

$7.86 SAR 29.50

-1.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-41.97%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-36.94%

Cappuccino

$2.69 SAR 10.11

$4.48 SAR 16.79

-39.96%

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

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$0.87 SAR 3.25

-8.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.38 SAR 1.42

-34.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

$1.70 SAR 6.38

-15.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.53

$1.28 SAR 4.80

-26.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-6.10%

Eggs

$2.03 SAR 7.61

$2.32 SAR 8.69

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 SAR 20.35

$7.15 SAR 26.84

-24.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 SAR 27.04

$10.24 SAR 38.43

-29.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.61 SAR 47.32

$11.69 SAR 43.86

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$2.62 SAR 9.83

-6.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.76 SAR 6.59

7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

$1.98 SAR 7.43

15.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.53

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-16.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.16

$1.36 SAR 5.11

1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$1.66 SAR 6.24

-22.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 SAR 3.22

$1.66 SAR 6.23

-48.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 SAR 2.85

$0.53 SAR 2.01

43.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-49.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.59 SAR 5.98

-7.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$1.84 SAR 6.91

-11.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 SAR 27.42

$6.66 SAR 25.00

9.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$0.73 SAR 2.75

47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 SAR 141

$67.2 SAR 252

-44.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$3.23 SAR 12.14

-58.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-40.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 SAR 21.32

$6.48 SAR 24.31

-12.35%

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)

$41.7K SAR 156.4K

$66.3K SAR 248.6K

-37.10%

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

$20.6K SAR 77.2K

$22.5K SAR 84.6K

-8.70%

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

$152 SAR 570

$99.6 SAR 374

52.58%

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

$27.74 SAR 104

$33.32 SAR 125

-16.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.7 SAR 337

$70.5 SAR 265

27.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 SAR 301

$82.0 SAR 308

-2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SAR 33.54

$37.23 SAR 140

-75.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.2

$15.07 SAR 56.6

-11.15%

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

$288 SAR 1,080

$589 SAR 2,210

-51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,525 SAR 20.7K

$8,524 SAR 32.0K

-35.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$62.0 SAR 233

-40.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 SAR 199

$83.0 SAR 312

-36.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 SAR 253

$97.2 SAR 365

-30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 SAR 260

$93.9 SAR 352

-26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,088

$630 SAR 2,363

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 SAR 1,929

$499 SAR 1,873

2.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 SAR 2,836

$1,187 SAR 4,454

-36.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,172

$860 SAR 3,226

-32.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,251 SAR 8,446

$2,404 SAR 9,020

-6.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,324 SAR 4,967

$1,444 SAR 5,417

-8.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,209 SAR 4,537

$1,829 SAR 6,864

-33.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.88

-29.08%

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

Last update for Medina: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$514 38.4%

Al Khobar

$499 35.5% 2.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$269 20.1%

Al Khobar

$203 14.5% 24.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$190 14.2%

Al Khobar

$217 15.5% 14.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$107 8%

Al Khobar

$112 8% 4.9% $5.2

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.8%

Al Khobar

$135 9.6% 29% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$102 7.6%

Al Khobar

$151 10.8% 48.2% $49

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Al Khobar

$87 6.2% 69.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $556 in Medina and $630 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 51% 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: $31.00 in Medina vs $59.0 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $217 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

Same time as Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

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

Medina Al Khobar 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $556 in Medina 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 Medina runs roughly 79% less than in Al Khobar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $288 in Medina versus $589 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,339 in Medina versus $1,405 in Al Khobar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Medina but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. The gap between the two cities makes Medina 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, Medina 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 Medina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.