Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,171 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Arar

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,171 in Arar, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Arar $1,171

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $1,750 in Arar, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
Arar $1,750

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $2,329 in Arar, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
Arar $2,329

Riyadh costs about 48% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 28% above the global median, while Arar is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$5.97 SAR 22.40

35.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$37.64 SAR 141

73.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$7.75 SAR 29.09

5.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.87 SAR 7.03

15.51%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$2.24 SAR 8.41

32.59%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.17 SAR 11.91

35.65%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.89 SAR 3.32

-4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.26 SAR 0.98

15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.72 SAR 6.47

6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.30 SAR 4.87

0.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.25 SAR 8.46

5.33%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.30 SAR 8.64

32.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$7.64 SAR 28.68

40.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$8.06 SAR 30.25

16.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.82 SAR 48.09

16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.13 SAR 8.00

33.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.70 SAR 6.38

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.58 SAR 5.95

56.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.57 SAR 5.87

8.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.19 SAR 4.46

-0.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.26 SAR 4.73

1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.26 SAR 4.72

41.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.56 SAR 2.11

3.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$3.00 SAR 11.26

171.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.73 SAR 6.49

5.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.01 SAR 7.54

22.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.51 SAR 24.42

20.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.08 SAR 4.07

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$36.77 SAR 138

3.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.69 SAR 10.08

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$1.88 SAR 7.07

1.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.05 SAR 48.99

1.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.63 SAR 2.37

-4.76%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

-8.58%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

2.85%

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

$108 SAR 404

$104 SAR 392

3.00%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$32.87 SAR 123

-9.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$66.2 SAR 249

7.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$81.0 SAR 304

2.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$13.40 SAR 50.3

-0.67%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$412 SAR 1,546

34.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$7,834 SAR 29.4K

28.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$42.18 SAR 158

36.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$54.2 SAR 203

0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$97.9 SAR 367

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$86.5 SAR 325

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$565 SAR 2,119

103.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$364 SAR 1,365

129.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$826 SAR 3,100

162.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$574 SAR 2,156

122.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$2,325 SAR 8,724

19.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,354 SAR 5,082

26.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

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 Arar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Arar

$364 31.1% 56.4% $470

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Arar

$203 17.3% 15.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Arar

$204 17.4% 2.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Arar

$114 9.7% 21.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Arar

$126 10.8% 12.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Arar

$108 9.2% 1.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Arar

$53 4.5% 3.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $565 in Arar. 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 $65 in Riyadh versus $38 in Arar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $203 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

167,057

💱 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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Between locations

Riyadh Arar 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh, $1,171 in Arar – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Riyadh and $1,757 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $554 per month in Riyadh and $412 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,171 in Arar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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.

For expats, Arar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 48% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.