Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qatif and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Qatif versus $1,487 in Al Khobar.

Qatif $1,102
Al Khobar $1,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,640 in Qatif versus $2,252 in Al Khobar.

Qatif $1,640
Al Khobar $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,178 in Qatif versus $3,016 in Al Khobar.

Qatif $2,178
Al Khobar $3,016

Living in Qatif costs roughly 26% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Qatif is 19% below, Al Khobar is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 SAR 13.15

$6.81 SAR 25.57

-48.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.91 SAR 131

$59.9 SAR 225

-41.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 SAR 24.48

$8.00 SAR 30.01

-18.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 SAR 7.04

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-27.97%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

$2.64 SAR 9.92

-15.15%

Cappuccino

$3.10 SAR 11.62

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-30.02%

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

$0.77 SAR 2.89

$0.87 SAR 3.26

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.72

$0.40 SAR 1.52

-52.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.69 SAR 6.36

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 SAR 3.42

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-28.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 SAR 7.20

$2.54 SAR 9.53

-24.41%

Eggs

$2.10 SAR 7.89

$2.45 SAR 9.21

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 SAR 22.14

$7.28 SAR 27.33

-18.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 SAR 29.64

$10.16 SAR 38.14

-22.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 SAR 47.44

$11.86 SAR 44.50

6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

$2.66 SAR 9.97

-13.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.41

$1.69 SAR 6.36

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

$2.04 SAR 7.66

-22.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 SAR 2.52

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-61.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.05

$1.40 SAR 5.27

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$1.65 SAR 6.20

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 SAR 3.58

$1.75 SAR 6.55

-45.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$0.58 SAR 2.18

-5.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.77

$2.73 SAR 10.26

-4.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-9.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.31

$1.90 SAR 7.13

16.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 SAR 23.48

$6.75 SAR 25.31

-7.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.09

$0.95 SAR 3.55

14.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.50 SAR 137

$61.9 SAR 232

-41.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

$2.90 SAR 10.88

-15.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-79.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.70

$6.58 SAR 24.68

101.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.29

$0.64 SAR 2.39

-4.69%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

-57.14%

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

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

-5.82%

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

$104 SAR 388

$99.4 SAR 373

4.17%

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

$32.15 SAR 121

$33.37 SAR 125

-3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 SAR 222

$68.9 SAR 259

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 SAR 298

$81.3 SAR 305

-2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.38 SAR 80.2

$36.86 SAR 138

-42.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 SAR 49.03

$15.26 SAR 57.3

-14.35%

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

$264 SAR 992

$607 SAR 2,279

-56.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

-7.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.16 SAR 121

$63.4 SAR 238

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.10 SAR 79.2

$82.3 SAR 309

-74.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 SAR 358

$97.8 SAR 367

-2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 SAR 340

$94.4 SAR 354

-3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 SAR 2,199

$766 SAR 2,876

-23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 SAR 1,402

$583 SAR 2,189

-35.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 SAR 3,029

$1,247 SAR 4,678

-35.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 SAR 2,171

$906 SAR 3,401

-36.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$943 SAR 3,537

$1,456 SAR 5,464

-35.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$796 SAR 2,987

$1,072 SAR 4,025

-25.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,257 SAR 8,471

$1,877 SAR 7,045

20.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.88

-6.46%

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

Last update for Qatif: October 27, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qatif

$374 33.9%

Al Khobar

$583 39.2% 56.2% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qatif

$195 17.7%

Al Khobar

$202 13.6% 3.4% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Qatif

$185 16.8%

Al Khobar

$220 14.8% 18.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Qatif

$108 9.8%

Al Khobar

$152 10.2% 41.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Qatif

$106 9.6%

Al Khobar

$112 7.5% 6% $6.3

Eating Out

Qatif

$89 8%

Al Khobar

$137 9.2% 54.4% $48

Getting Around

Qatif

$46 4.2%

Al Khobar

$82 5.5% 77.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Qatif and $766 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qatif pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Qatif vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $220 per month, with Qatif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Qatif

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

Same time as Qatif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,332

219,679

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Qatif Al Khobar 34 km

From you

Qatif
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

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

Qatif wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qatif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Qatif, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $586 in Qatif versus $766 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Qatif runs roughly 41% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $264 in Qatif versus $607 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Qatif gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Qatif and Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Qatif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.