Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in AL Kharj

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 Kharj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
AL Kharj $1,966

Riyadh costs about 81% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 28% above the global median, while AL Kharj is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$4.79 SAR 17.99

68.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$26.43 SAR 99.2

147.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$8.14 SAR 30.56

0.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.32 SAR 4.93

125.00%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.06 SAR 11.49

40.52%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.85 SAR 3.21

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.12 SAR 0.44

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.49 SAR 5.58

22.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$0.28 SAR 1.06

367.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.44 SAR 9.17

-2.87%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.12 SAR 7.95

43.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$10.38 SAR 38.95

3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$4.95 SAR 18.59

89.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$13.09 SAR 49.13

14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$1.71 SAR 6.43

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.37 SAR 5.15

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.23 SAR 4.60

100.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.38 SAR 5.18

23.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.06 SAR 3.97

11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.05 SAR 3.94

21.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$0.55 SAR 2.05

223.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.54 SAR 2.02

7.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$2.20 SAR 8.26

270.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.04 SAR 3.91

75.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.45 SAR 24.21

21.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$23.07 SAR 86.6

65.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.66 SAR 9.97

17.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$0.51 SAR 1.90

274.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.22 SAR 49.59

0.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.61 SAR 2.27

-1.64%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

-1.72%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

-1.09%

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

$108 SAR 404

$107 SAR 400

0.86%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$26.42 SAR 99.1

12.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$50.6 SAR 190

40.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$72.4 SAR 272

14.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$40.69 SAR 153

40.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-0.75%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$289 SAR 1,084

91.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

164.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$57.5 SAR 216

0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$52.4 SAR 197

3.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$46.60 SAR 175

123.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$78.9 SAR 296

32.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$692 SAR 2,597

66.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$267 SAR 1,002

212.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$590 SAR 2,214

267.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$461 SAR 1,729

176.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-26.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 68% $567

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 28.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 11.8% $24

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 28.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 26.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 9.6% $10

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 48.6% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $692 in AL Kharj. 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 36% higher in AL Kharj, 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 $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

425,300

💱 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

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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 Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh, $961 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Riyadh and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

Kindergarten costs $554 per month in Riyadh and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Riyadh, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Riyadh at $1,738. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 45% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.