Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Jeddah

For one person, living costs are similar in Medina and in Jeddah: $1,339 and $1,374 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,339

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Medina vs $1,374 in Jeddah, rent included.

Medina $1,339
Jeddah $1,374

A couple spends around $1,801 per month in Medina vs $2,148 in Jeddah, rent included.

Medina $1,801
Jeddah $2,148

A family of three spends $2,263 per month in Medina vs $2,922 in Jeddah, rent included.

Medina $2,263
Jeddah $2,922

Medina is about 3% cheaper than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medina sits 1% below the global median, while Jeddah is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.56 SAR 20.86

$6.04 SAR 22.67

-7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.40 SAR 118

$80.3 SAR 301

-60.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 SAR 29.11

$9.50 SAR 35.65

-18.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

$2.38 SAR 8.95

-33.19%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-35.74%

Cappuccino

$2.69 SAR 10.11

$3.73 SAR 13.98

-27.88%

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

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$0.97 SAR 3.62

-17.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.26 SAR 0.98

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-14.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.53

$1.26 SAR 4.71

-25.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

$2.34 SAR 8.76

-1.28%

Eggs

$2.03 SAR 7.61

$2.43 SAR 9.13

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 SAR 20.35

$6.36 SAR 23.88

-14.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 SAR 27.04

$8.30 SAR 31.14

-13.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.61 SAR 47.32

$13.23 SAR 49.66

-4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$2.13 SAR 7.98

14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.69 SAR 6.33

12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

$1.62 SAR 6.07

40.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.53

$1.69 SAR 6.32

-13.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.16

$1.12 SAR 4.22

23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$1.26 SAR 4.71

2.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 SAR 3.22

$1.07 SAR 4.01

-19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 SAR 2.85

$0.53 SAR 1.99

43.40%

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)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.76 SAR 6.59

-16.48%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$2.49 SAR 9.36

-34.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 SAR 27.42

$6.71 SAR 25.17

8.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$0.96 SAR 3.61

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 SAR 141

$55.4 SAR 208

-32.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$3.16 SAR 11.85

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.76 SAR 6.62

-7.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 SAR 21.32

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-59.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

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

$41.7K SAR 156.4K

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

-11.80%

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

$20.6K SAR 77.2K

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

-6.30%

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

$152 SAR 570

$90.4 SAR 339

68.07%

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

$27.74 SAR 104

$38.29 SAR 144

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.7 SAR 337

$68.0 SAR 255

31.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 SAR 301

$78.0 SAR 293

2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SAR 33.54

$38.19 SAR 143

-76.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.2

$11.91 SAR 44.69

12.43%

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

$288 SAR 1,080

$769 SAR 2,887

-62.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,525 SAR 20.7K

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

-66.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$72.4 SAR 272

-49.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 SAR 199

$56.1 SAR 211

-5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 SAR 253

$99.9 SAR 375

-32.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 SAR 260

$93.6 SAR 351

-25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,088

$789 SAR 2,961

-29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 SAR 1,929

$532 SAR 1,998

-3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 SAR 2,836

$1,427 SAR 5,356

-47.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,172

$832 SAR 3,121

-30.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,251 SAR 8,446

$1,767 SAR 6,631

27.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,324 SAR 4,967

$1,143 SAR 4,290

15.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,209 SAR 4,537

$1,665 SAR 6,248

-27.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.39

-22.63%

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

Last update for Medina: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$514 38.4%

Jeddah

$532 38.7% 3.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$269 20.1%

Jeddah

$197 14.3% 27% $73

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$190 14.2%

Jeddah

$201 14.6% 5.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$107 8%

Jeddah

$102 7.4% 4.8% $5.1

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.8%

Jeddah

$126 9.2% 21.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$102 7.6%

Jeddah

$145 10.5% 42% $43

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Jeddah

$71 5.2% 38.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $556 in Medina 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 38% 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 $31.00 in Medina versus $80.0 in Jeddah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $201 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

Same time as Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

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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Medina Jeddah 330 km

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,339 in Medina, $1,374 in Jeddah – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,008 per month in Medina 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 Medina, 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 $31.00 in Medina and $80.0 in Jeddah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,339 in Medina and $1,374 in Jeddah. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – 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 Medina. 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.