Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,085 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Al-hawiyah

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 Al-hawiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,085 in Al-hawiyah.

Riyadh $1,738
Al-hawiyah $1,085

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $1,593 in Al-hawiyah.

Riyadh $2,587
Al-hawiyah $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $2,102 in Al-hawiyah.

Riyadh $3,437
Al-hawiyah $2,102

Living in Riyadh is roughly 60% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Al-hawiyah is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$4.43 SAR 16.64

82.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$26.60 SAR 99.8

145.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$6.71 SAR 25.16

21.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.55 SAR 5.81

39.35%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.57 SAR 5.88

89.17%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$2.62 SAR 9.83

64.12%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.67 SAR 2.52

26.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.25 SAR 0.94

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.89 SAR 7.11

-3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$0.95 SAR 3.57

37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.18 SAR 8.17

8.72%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.67 SAR 10.01

13.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$6.07 SAR 22.79

77.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$11.68 SAR 43.82

-19.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$13.06 SAR 49.00

14.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.02 SAR 7.57

41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.61 SAR 6.05

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.75 SAR 6.57

41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.48 SAR 5.56

15.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.35 SAR 5.08

-12.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.49 SAR 5.60

-14.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.05 SAR 3.94

69.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.72 SAR 2.72

-19.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$2.89 SAR 10.84

182.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$2.09 SAR 7.84

-12.92%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$1.56 SAR 5.87

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$7.79 SAR 29.24

0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.07 SAR 4.02

-2.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$36.32 SAR 136

4.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.37 SAR 8.89

32.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$2.60 SAR 9.77

-26.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.11 SAR 49.18

1.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.60 SAR 2.27

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$26.1K SAR 98.1K

0.20%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.9K SAR 82.1K

1.62%

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

$108 SAR 404

$66.6 SAR 250

61.58%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$34.33 SAR 129

-13.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$63.0 SAR 236

12.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$79.6 SAR 299

4.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$15.31 SAR 57.5

-13.06%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$415 SAR 1,557

33.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$7,915 SAR 29.7K

27.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$13.44 SAR 50.4

329.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$54.1 SAR 203

0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$40.33 SAR 151

158.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$52.8 SAR 198

98.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$584 SAR 2,193

96.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$374 SAR 1,404

122.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$802 SAR 3,010

169.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$560 SAR 2,103

127.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$2,311 SAR 8,673

20.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,373 SAR 5,153

25.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.25

5.52%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Al-hawiyah

$374 34.5% 55.1% $459

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Al-hawiyah

$218 20.1% 9.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Al-hawiyah

$164 15.1% 21.3% $44

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Al-hawiyah

$91 8.4% 37.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Al-hawiyah

$72 6.7% 49.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Al-hawiyah

$110 10.2% 0.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Al-hawiyah

$56 5.2% 2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $584 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $27 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $218 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

148,151

💱 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 Al-hawiyah 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Al-hawiyah

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 Al-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,085 in Al-hawiyah, so Al-hawiyah is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,606 in Riyadh and $1,628 in Al-hawiyah 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: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $584 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27 versus $65 in Riyadh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,738 per month in Riyadh versus $1,085 in Al-hawiyah – Al-hawiyah is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-hawiyah 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.

Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.