Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,487 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

Jump to prices

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,487 in Al Khobar.

Riyadh $1,738
Al Khobar $1,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $2,252 in Al Khobar.

Riyadh $2,587
Al Khobar $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $3,016 in Al Khobar.

Riyadh $3,437
Al Khobar $3,016

Living in Riyadh is roughly 17% more expensive than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 28% above, Al Khobar 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$6.81 SAR 25.57

18.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$59.9 SAR 225

9.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$8.00 SAR 30.00

2.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-17.24%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$2.64 SAR 9.92

12.50%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-2.93%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.87 SAR 3.26

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.40 SAR 1.52

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.69 SAR 6.36

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.27 SAR 4.76

3.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.54 SAR 9.53

-6.69%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.45 SAR 9.21

24.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$7.28 SAR 27.33

47.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$10.16 SAR 38.14

-7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$11.86 SAR 44.50

26.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.66 SAR 9.97

7.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.69 SAR 6.36

12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$2.04 SAR 7.66

21.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.40 SAR 5.27

-15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.65 SAR 6.20

-22.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.75 SAR 6.55

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.58 SAR 2.18

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$2.73 SAR 10.26

198.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.65 SAR 6.18

10.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$1.90 SAR 7.13

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.75 SAR 25.31

16.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$0.95 SAR 3.55

9.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$61.9 SAR 232

-38.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.90 SAR 10.88

7.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-27.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$6.58 SAR 24.68

102.28%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

-61.38%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

3.00%

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

$108 SAR 404

$99.4 SAR 373

8.23%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$33.37 SAR 125

-11.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$68.9 SAR 259

2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$81.3 SAR 305

2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$36.86 SAR 138

55.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$15.26 SAR 57.3

-12.78%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$607 SAR 2,279

-8.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

18.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$63.4 SAR 238

-8.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$82.3 SAR 309

-33.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$97.8 SAR 367

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$94.4 SAR 354

10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$766 SAR 2,876

49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$583 SAR 2,189

42.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$1,247 SAR 4,678

73.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$906 SAR 3,400

40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$1,456 SAR 5,463

90.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,072 SAR 4,024

60.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

$1,877 SAR 7,045

9.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.88

-5.78%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Al Khobar

$583 39.2% 30% $250

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Al Khobar

$220 14.8% 9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Al Khobar

$202 13.6% 3.1% $6.5

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Al Khobar

$137 9.2% 6% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Al Khobar

$152 10.2% 5.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Al Khobar

$112 7.5% 2% $2.2

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Al Khobar

$82 5.5% 48.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $766 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $220 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Al Khobar 400 km

From you

Riyadh
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

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

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Riyadh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Riyadh, 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: $1,149 in Riyadh 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 Riyadh runs roughly 38% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $554 in Riyadh versus $607 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Al Khobar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Al Khobar wins on affordability, Riyadh on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.