Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Al-Ula $1,184

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Riyadh vs $1,757 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Riyadh $2,567
Al-Ula $1,757

A family of three spends $3,396 per month in Riyadh vs $2,330 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Riyadh $3,396
Al-Ula $2,330

Riyadh costs about 47% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 29% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.35

$6.11 SAR 22.91

32.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 SAR 249

$36.80 SAR 138

80.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 SAR 30.64

$7.96 SAR 29.87

2.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.79

$1.89 SAR 7.08

10.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

$2.30 SAR 8.62

29.57%

Cappuccino

$4.25 SAR 15.96

$3.17 SAR 11.89

34.07%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$0.86 SAR 3.24

5.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 SAR 1.20

$0.26 SAR 0.98

23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.74 SAR 6.52

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$1.27 SAR 4.75

-0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$2.30 SAR 8.62

5.65%

Eggs

$3.13 SAR 11.76

$2.32 SAR 8.72

34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 SAR 40.11

$7.39 SAR 27.75

44.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 SAR 35.41

$8.07 SAR 30.27

16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 SAR 57.0

$12.67 SAR 47.54

19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

$2.25 SAR 8.45

26.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 SAR 7.36

$1.76 SAR 6.60

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 SAR 9.51

$1.58 SAR 5.94

60.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.57 SAR 5.89

8.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.23 SAR 4.61

-4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.81

$1.28 SAR 4.79

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.22 SAR 4.58

39.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.12

$0.54 SAR 2.02

5.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.83 SAR 29.38

$2.86 SAR 10.71

173.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 SAR 6.77

$1.78 SAR 6.68

1.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.95

$2.11 SAR 7.91

13.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.50 SAR 28.15

$6.74 SAR 25.28

11.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-1.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.34 SAR 140

$36.77 SAR 138

1.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$2.61 SAR 9.80

19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-2.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$13.14 SAR 49.29

0.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

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

$34.7K SAR 130.1K

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

-21.28%

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

$22.9K SAR 85.8K

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

7.40%

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

$106 SAR 396

$106 SAR 397

-0.40%

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

$29.61 SAR 111

$33.21 SAR 125

-10.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 SAR 265

$65.8 SAR 247

7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 SAR 344

$82.4 SAR 309

11.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 SAR 214

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-1.80%

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

$523 SAR 1,963

$425 SAR 1,596

22.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

26.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 SAR 221

$42.74 SAR 160

37.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 SAR 199

$55.4 SAR 208

-4.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 379

$96.2 SAR 361

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SAR 386

$87.6 SAR 329

17.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 SAR 4,425

$576 SAR 2,162

104.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,122

$372 SAR 1,397

123.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 SAR 8,359

$832 SAR 3,121

167.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 SAR 4,595

$572 SAR 2,147

114.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 SAR 11.2K

$2,323 SAR 8,718

28.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 SAR 7,177

$1,382 SAR 5,187

38.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,067 SAR 7,757

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 11, 2026

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$832 47.9%

Al-Ula

$372 31.5% 55.3% $460

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Al-Ula

$203 17.1% 16.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$206 11.8%

Al-Ula

$205 17.3% 0.4% $0.9

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Al-Ula

$115 9.7% 20.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$142 8.2%

Al-Ula

$127 10.7% 10.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 7.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Al-Ula

$53 4.5% 1.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Riyadh versus $576 in Al-Ula. 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 $66.0 in Riyadh versus $37.00 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $203 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

32,413

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Al-Ula 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh, $1,184 in Al-Ula – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,607 per month in Riyadh and $1,776 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $523 per month in Riyadh and $425 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Riyadh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Riyadh at $1,738. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Riyadh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,184 in Al-Ula to $1,738 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Al-Ula. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.