Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,768 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index

Jump to prices

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Berlin

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

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Riyadh vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Riyadh $1,768
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Riyadh vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Riyadh $2,557
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Riyadh vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Riyadh $3,345
Berlin $5,257

Riyadh is about 31% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Riyadh and Berlin sit above the global median – Riyadh by 32%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.36

$16.81 €15.00

-51.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 250

$79.6 €71.0

-16.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.47

$13.38 €11.94

-39.39%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.31

$4.27 €3.81

1.64%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$3.40 €3.03

-74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$3.12 €2.79

-90.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.27 €1.13

39.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$2.45 €2.19

-46.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.03

$3.30 €2.94

-27.27%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$4.45 €3.97

-31.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.91

$17.10 €15.26

-37.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.05

$12.19 €10.88

-21.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.3

$18.30 €16.33

-18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.51

$3.58 €3.19

-21.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$1.98 €1.77

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$3.27 €2.92

-23.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$3.81 €3.40

-52.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.45

$2.13 €1.90

-44.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$2.21 €1.97

-39.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.49 €1.33

20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$1.01 €0.90

-46.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.26

$10.49 €9.37

-28.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.96

$4.37 €3.90

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

$71.0 €63.3

-47.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.35

$5.29 €4.72

-37.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$3.05 €2.73

-37.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.5

$36.30 €32.39

-63.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$2.28 €2.03

-71.49%

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

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

4.19%

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

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$39.1K €34.9K

-41.53%

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

$106 SAR 397

$379 €339

-72.15%

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

$29.10 SAR 109

$19.31 €17.23

50.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$48.41 €43.20

50.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$40.31 €35.97

126.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$35.51 €31.69

58.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.58

$15.53 €13.86

-15.00%

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

$532 SAR 1,999

$144 €128

270.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$15.8K €14.1K

-35.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$94.6 €84.5

-39.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$46.33 €41.34

17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 393

$103 €92.2

1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$141 €126

-25.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,547

$1,488 €1,328

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,132

$1,098 €980

-24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,346

$2,665 €2,378

-16.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,658

$2,080 €1,856

-40.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$8,578 €7,655

-64.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,274

$5,438 €4,853

-64.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,648

$3,487 €3,112

-41.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

3.8

45.79%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 31.7% $264

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 44.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 115% $240

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 97.9% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 19.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 39.4% $46

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 101% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Riyadh versus $1,488 in Berlin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Riyadh versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $351 – making Riyadh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Berlin 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Berlin

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 Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,652 per month in Riyadh and $3,818 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,768 in Riyadh and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Riyadh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Riyadh, where all-in costs run around $1,768, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Riyadh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Riyadh – 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.

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