Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabigh and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $953 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
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Rabigh Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$953

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rabigh and in Riyadh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $953 in Rabigh versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Rabigh $953
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,456 in Rabigh versus $2,587 in Riyadh.

Rabigh $1,456
Riyadh $2,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,960 in Rabigh versus $3,437 in Riyadh.

Rabigh $1,960
Riyadh $3,437

Living in Rabigh costs roughly 45% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rabigh is 30% below, Riyadh is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 SAR 17.49

$8.09 SAR 30.38

-42.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.40 SAR 99.1

$65.3 SAR 245

-59.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.97 SAR 26.15

$8.18 SAR 30.69

-14.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 SAR 5.72

$2.16 SAR 8.12

-29.63%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-46.80%

Cappuccino

$2.57 SAR 9.63

$4.30 SAR 16.14

-40.23%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$0.85 SAR 3.18

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.30 SAR 1.12

-23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 SAR 7.06

$1.83 SAR 6.85

2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 SAR 3.82

$1.31 SAR 4.93

-22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-7.59%

Eggs

$2.56 SAR 9.61

$3.04 SAR 11.41

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 SAR 22.80

$10.77 SAR 40.42

-43.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 SAR 45.18

$9.38 SAR 35.18

28.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.60

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-13.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.81

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-27.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.08

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.76

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-27.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.63

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.18 SAR 4.43

12.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$1.28 SAR 4.82

17.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 SAR 2.77

$0.58 SAR 2.17

27.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.89 SAR 10.84

$8.15 SAR 30.59

-64.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.22

$1.82 SAR 6.83

20.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.94 SAR 29.80

$7.85 SAR 29.46

1.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$1.04 SAR 3.91

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.60 SAR 126

$38.07 SAR 143

-11.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 SAR 9.06

$3.13 SAR 11.75

-23.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.91 SAR 7.16

36.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.48 SAR 50.6

$13.31 SAR 49.93

1.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$0.60 SAR 2.26

1.67%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

1.65%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-3.75%

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

$66.6 SAR 250

$108 SAR 404

-38.08%

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

$34.24 SAR 128

$29.62 SAR 111

15.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 SAR 239

$71.0 SAR 266

-10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 SAR 278

$83.0 SAR 312

-10.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$15.35 SAR 57.6

$13.31 SAR 49.96

15.33%

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

$428 SAR 1,606

$554 SAR 2,078

-22.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,737 SAR 29.0K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-23.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.32 SAR 49.99

$57.7 SAR 217

-76.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 SAR 207

$54.4 SAR 204

1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.72 SAR 149

$104 SAR 391

-61.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 SAR 201

$105 SAR 393

-48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 SAR 1,258

$1,149 SAR 4,312

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 SAR 917

$833 SAR 3,128

-70.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,291

$2,166 SAR 8,128

-71.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 SAR 1,591

$1,276 SAR 4,788

-66.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,728 SAR 6,484

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

-37.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,478 SAR 5,546

$1,718 SAR 6,446

-13.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,702

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.54

-5.23%

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

Last update for Rabigh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabigh

$244 25.7%

Riyadh

$833 48% 241% $589

Groceries & Markets

Rabigh

$220 23.1%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 9.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabigh

$165 17.3%

Riyadh

$208 12% 26.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rabigh

$105 11%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 4.8% $5

Eating Out

Rabigh

$93 9.7%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 56.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Rabigh

$73 7.7%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 98.2% $72

Getting Around

Rabigh

$53 5.6%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 2.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $335 in Rabigh and $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Rabigh vs $65 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $241 per month, with Rabigh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

Same time as Rabigh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,072

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Rabigh Riyadh 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rabigh
Riyadh

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

Rabigh vs Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rabigh is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,429 in Rabigh and $2,606 in Riyadh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $335 in Rabigh versus $1,149 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $953 per month in Rabigh versus $1,738 in Riyadh – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rabigh runs roughly 12% less than in Riyadh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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, Rabigh and Riyadh 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 Rabigh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.