Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,226 in Dammam.

Riyadh $1,738
Dammam $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $1,857 in Dammam.

Riyadh $2,587
Dammam $1,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $2,488 in Dammam.

Riyadh $3,437
Dammam $2,488

Living in Riyadh is roughly 42% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Dammam is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$6.49 SAR 24.35

24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$39.23 SAR 147

66.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$7.78 SAR 29.21

5.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.83 SAR 6.87

18.03%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.78 SAR 6.68

66.85%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.71 SAR 13.94

15.90%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.81 SAR 3.02

4.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.28 SAR 1.04

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.72 SAR 6.45

6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.04 SAR 3.91

25.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.32 SAR 8.71

2.16%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.54 SAR 9.52

19.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$6.79 SAR 25.48

58.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$7.34 SAR 27.55

27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.93 SAR 48.52

15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.36 SAR 8.85

20.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.60 SAR 6.01

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.62 SAR 6.10

52.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.63 SAR 6.11

4.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.25 SAR 4.67

-5.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.32 SAR 4.94

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.35 SAR 5.07

31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.59 SAR 2.22

-1.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$2.84 SAR 10.65

186.97%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.73 SAR 6.51

5.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.03 SAR 7.62

21.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$7.26 SAR 27.23

8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.04 SAR 3.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$40.52 SAR 152

-6.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.62 SAR 9.83

19.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$1.89 SAR 7.10

1.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.55 SAR 50.8

-1.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.65 SAR 2.42

-7.69%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

-3.49%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

-4.93%

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

$108 SAR 404

$105 SAR 395

2.14%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$33.70 SAR 126

-12.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$72.2 SAR 271

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$94.5 SAR 354

-12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$36.96 SAR 139

54.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$14.61 SAR 54.8

-8.90%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$346 SAR 1,299

59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

31.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$56.1 SAR 210

2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$62.8 SAR 236

-13.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$84.0 SAR 315

23.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$81.3 SAR 305

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$440 SAR 1,652

160.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$384 SAR 1,441

117.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$889 SAR 3,337

143.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$627 SAR 2,352

103.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$1,788 SAR 6,708

55.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,073 SAR 4,025

60.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.42

25.34%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Dammam

$384 31.4% 53.9% $449

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Dammam

$198 16.1% 18% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Dammam

$211 17.2% 1.5% $3.1

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 14.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Dammam

$128 10.4% 11.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 12.8% $14

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Dammam

$57 4.6% 3.4% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $440 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $39 in Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $198 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Dammam

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

903,312

💱 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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Riyadh Dammam 390 km

From you

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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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,606 in Riyadh and $1,839 in Dammam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $440 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,738 per month in Riyadh versus $1,226 in Dammam – Dammam is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Riyadh runs roughly 6% less than in Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,738 in Riyadh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dammam but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. The gap between the two cities makes Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Riyadh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Riyadh and Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.