Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,062 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Abha

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,062 in Abha, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Abha $1,062

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $1,754 in Abha, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
Abha $1,754

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $2,445 in Abha, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
Abha $2,445

Riyadh costs about 64% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 28% above the global median, while Abha is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$5.36 SAR 20.12

50.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$50.4 SAR 189

29.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$7.61 SAR 28.57

7.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.63 SAR 6.13

32.52%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.35 SAR 5.07

120.00%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.21 SAR 12.05

33.96%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.58 SAR 2.18

46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.22 SAR 0.82

36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.63 SAR 6.11

12.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$0.59 SAR 2.22

122.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.01 SAR 7.53

17.91%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$3.08 SAR 11.57

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$4.36 SAR 16.35

147.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$7.46 SAR 27.99

25.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$18.35 SAR 68.8

-18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.00 SAR 7.49

42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.91 SAR 7.17

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.58 SAR 5.94

56.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.65 SAR 6.18

3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$2.21 SAR 8.28

-46.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.27 SAR 4.75

0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$0.37 SAR 1.41

381.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.47 SAR 1.78

23.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$4.34 SAR 16.28

87.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.17 SAR 4.37

55.56%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$1.51 SAR 5.67

63.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$9.39 SAR 35.22

-16.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$0.80 SAR 3.00

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$37.99 SAR 143

0.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$3.01 SAR 11.31

3.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$2.73 SAR 10.24

-30.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.48 SAR 50.6

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.64 SAR 2.39

-6.25%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$29.2K SAR 109.4K

-10.17%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$19.7K SAR 74.0K

12.68%

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

$108 SAR 404

$87.8 SAR 329

22.51%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$37.47 SAR 141

-20.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$76.2 SAR 286

-6.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$93.4 SAR 350

-11.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$44.58 SAR 167

28.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$16.19 SAR 60.7

-17.79%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$213 SAR 798

160.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$4,133 SAR 15.5K

144.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$31.20 SAR 117

84.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$70.1 SAR 263

-22.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$96.0 SAR 360

8.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$65.8 SAR 247

59.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$317 SAR 1,189

262.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$251 SAR 942

231.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$539 SAR 2,023

301.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$560 SAR 2,101

127.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$934 SAR 3,504

197.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,313 SAR 4,929

30.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

$2,204 SAR 8,271

-6.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

-7.67%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Abha

$251 23.6% 69.9% $582

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Abha

$200 18.9% 17% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Abha

$201 19% 3.2% $6.7

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Abha

$107 10.1% 26.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Abha

$118 11.1% 18.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Abha

$126 11.8% 14.7% $16

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Abha

$58 5.5% 5.4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $317 in Abha. 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 7% higher in Abha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Riyadh versus $50 in Abha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $200 – making Abha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

236,157

💱 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

Riyadh Abha 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Abha

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

Riyadh vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 64% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Riyadh and $1,593 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Riyadh and $50 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Riyadh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,062 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – 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.