Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,162 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,162 in Ar-rass.

Riyadh $1,738
Ar-rass $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Riyadh versus $1,717 in Ar-rass.

Riyadh $2,575
Ar-rass $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Riyadh versus $2,272 in Ar-rass.

Riyadh $3,413
Ar-rass $2,272

Living in Riyadh is roughly 50% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 29% above, Ar-rass is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$6.73 SAR 25.27

21.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$37.53 SAR 141

74.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$8.20 SAR 30.78

-1.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

$1.81 SAR 6.79

16.02%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

$2.19 SAR 8.23

30.59%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$3.29 SAR 12.36

34.65%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$0.88 SAR 3.30

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$0.27 SAR 1.01

22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-0.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$0.38 SAR 1.43

239.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$1.82 SAR 6.85

28.57%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$3.67 SAR 13.78

-15.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$6.77 SAR 25.40

57.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$7.99 SAR 29.97

17.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$12.90 SAR 48.43

16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$2.14 SAR 8.03

36.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.73 SAR 6.48

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$1.64 SAR 6.17

51.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.56 SAR 5.84

8.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.25 SAR 4.68

-5.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.33 SAR 5.01

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.26 SAR 4.73

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.58 SAR 2.17

-8.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

$3.01 SAR 11.29

162.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.95 SAR 7.33

-11.28%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

$2.12 SAR 7.94

12.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$7.88 SAR 29.58

-0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$0.96 SAR 3.60

7.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$42.22 SAR 158

-12.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$2.61 SAR 9.78

23.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$1.49 SAR 5.60

28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$13.93 SAR 52.3

-6.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.61 SAR 2.27

4.92%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$25.3K SAR 95.1K

5.03%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

3.24%

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

$105 SAR 394

$94.9 SAR 356

10.68%

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

$29.43 SAR 110

$24.18 SAR 90.7

21.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$60.3 SAR 226

14.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$43.79 SAR 164

76.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$13.26 SAR 49.79

5.58%

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

$555 SAR 2,082

$417 SAR 1,565

33.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$11.2K SAR 42.0K

51.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

$42.38 SAR 159

37.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$55.8 SAR 209

-3.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$97.9 SAR 368

6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$74.6 SAR 280

39.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$562 SAR 2,110

102.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$416 SAR 1,560

102.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$383 SAR 1,439

463.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$620 SAR 2,327

103.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$1,915 SAR 7,189

41.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$1,353 SAR 5,078

22.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

$1,732 SAR 6,502

20.54%

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 Ar-rass: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Ar-rass

$416 35.8% 50.6% $426

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Ar-rass

$197 16.9% 18.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Ar-rass

$179 15.4% 12% $24

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Ar-rass

$123 10.5% 17.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Ar-rass

$122 10.5% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Ar-rass

$70 6.1% 33.3% $35

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Ar-rass

$56 4.8% 4.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Riyadh and $562 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 21% 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: $66 in Riyadh vs $38 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $197 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

121,359

💱 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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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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,162 in Ar-rass, so Ar-rass is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,138 in Riyadh versus $562 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Riyadh versus $417 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Riyadh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ar-rass 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.

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