Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Al Majma'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Majma’ah: $1,300 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Al Majma'ah
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Al Majma'ah Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Al Majma'ah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Al Majma'ah

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,300 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Al Majma'ah $1,300

A couple spends around $2,575 per month in Riyadh vs $2,000 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Riyadh $2,575
Al Majma'ah $2,000

A family of three spends $3,413 per month in Riyadh vs $2,700 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Riyadh $3,413
Al Majma'ah $2,700

Riyadh costs about 34% more than Al Majma’ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Riyadh sits 29% above the global median, while Al Majma’ah is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$7.96 SAR 29.87

3.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$66.6 SAR 250

-1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$8.09 SAR 30.37

-0.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

$2.14 SAR 8.03

-1.87%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

$2.97 SAR 11.16

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$4.45 SAR 16.71

-0.45%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$0.84 SAR 3.16

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$0.33 SAR 1.24

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.82 SAR 6.84

-1.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-3.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-4.88%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$2.99 SAR 11.22

4.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$10.35 SAR 38.84

2.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$15.25 SAR 57.2

-1.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$2.92 SAR 10.94

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$2.49 SAR 9.36

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.72 SAR 6.46

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.17 SAR 4.39

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.28 SAR 4.81

3.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.68 SAR 6.31

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.57 SAR 2.14

-7.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

$2.93 SAR 11.00

169.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.75 SAR 6.55

-1.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

$2.39 SAR 8.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$7.55 SAR 28.34

3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$1.00 SAR 3.77

3.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$38.68 SAR 145

-4.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$3.28 SAR 12.33

-1.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$1.83 SAR 6.87

4.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.65 SAR 2.44

-1.54%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$26.4K SAR 99.1K

0.74%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

-0.02%

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

$105 SAR 394

$107 SAR 400

-1.47%

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

$29.43 SAR 110

$29.12 SAR 109

1.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$69.8 SAR 262

-0.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$71.6 SAR 269

8.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$13.98 SAR 52.5

0.14%

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

$555 SAR 2,082

$552 SAR 2,072

0.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$16.5K SAR 62.1K

2.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$53.2 SAR 200

1.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$101 SAR 378

3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$105 SAR 393

-0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$552 SAR 2,071

106.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$408 SAR 1,533

106.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$883 SAR 3,313

144.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$614 SAR 2,304

105.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$2,020 SAR 7,582

33.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$1,119 SAR 4,202

47.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

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 31, 2026

Last update for Al Majma'ah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Al Majma'ah

$408 31.4% 51.5% $434

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Al Majma'ah

$242 18.7% 0.6% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Al Majma'ah

$206 15.8% 0.9% $1.8

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Al Majma'ah

$146 11.2% 1.2% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Al Majma'ah

$143 11% 1.2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Al Majma'ah

$100 7.7% 5.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Al Majma'ah

$55 4.2% 2.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Riyadh versus $552 in Al Majma’ah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Riyadh versus $67 in Al Majma’ah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $242 – making Riyadh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Al Majma'ah

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 Majma'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 34% more than Al Majma’ah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,607 per month in Riyadh and $1,949 in Al Majma’ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Majma’ah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $552 there versus $1,138 in Riyadh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,300 in Al Majma’ah. That makes Al Majma’ah about 25% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Riyadh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,300 in Al Majma’ah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Riyadh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,300 in Al Majma’ah to $1,738 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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