Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Dhahran Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Dhahran

🙂 Solo nomad: Riyadh is 4% cheaper than Dhahran without rent, and 31.4% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Riyadh is 4.4% cheaper than Dhahran without rent, and 21.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.12 SAR 30.47
$5.39 SAR 20.21
50.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.2 SAR 199
$40.68 SAR 153
30.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.1 SAR 30.38
$7.24 SAR 27.16
11.88%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 SAR 6.66
$2.03 SAR 7.63
-12.32%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 SAR 8.35
$1.61 SAR 6.05
38.51%
Cappuccino
$4.06 SAR 15.23
$3.66 SAR 13.75
10.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 SAR 2.71
$0.69 SAR 2.57
4.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 SAR 1.08
$0.16 SAR 0.62
81.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 SAR 6.38
$1.52 SAR 5.68
11.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.92
$1.22 SAR 4.57
7.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 SAR 8.87
$2.12 SAR 7.95
11.79%
Eggs
$2.63 SAR 9.86
$2.39 SAR 8.98
10.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 SAR 31.16
$6.49 SAR 24.34
28.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.9 SAR 37.13
$8.91 SAR 33.41
11.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.74 SAR 55.3
$13.83 SAR 51.9
6.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 SAR 8.4
$2.25 SAR 8.46
-0.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 SAR 6.58
$1.41 SAR 5.3
24.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 SAR 7.02
$1.57 SAR 5.9
19.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.91
$1.31 SAR 4.9
19.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 SAR 4.84
$1.21 SAR 4.55
6.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 SAR 5.48
$0.95 SAR 3.55
53.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 SAR 5.21
$2.15 SAR 8.07
-35.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 SAR 1.93
$0.58 SAR 2.16
-12.07%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$9.47 SAR 35.52
$5.31 SAR 19.92
78.34%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 SAR 6.7
$1.92 SAR 7.21
-6.77%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SAR 8.79
$1.64 SAR 6.15
42.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.19 SAR 26.95
$9.31 SAR 34.94
-22.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 SAR 4.09
$1.04 SAR 3.9
4.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.56 SAR 137
$45.2 SAR 170
-19.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 SAR 11.91
$1.37 SAR 5.14
131.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 SAR 6.81
$2.41 SAR 9.05
-24.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.18 SAR 49.46
$13.45 SAR 50.4
-2.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.4
$0.61 SAR 2.28
4.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K SAR 130.6K
$32.3K SAR 121.1K
7.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K SAR 87.5K
$23.6K SAR 88.6K
-1.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 SAR 396
$105 SAR 395
0.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.22 SAR 128
$36.68 SAR 138
-6.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.1 SAR 282
$71.2 SAR 267
5.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$107 SAR 400
$183 SAR 688
-41.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.4 SAR 219
$35.29 SAR 132
65.43%
Cinema Ticket
$15.84 SAR 59.4
$12.16 SAR 45.62
30.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$456 SAR 1,711
$405 SAR 1,520
12.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,612 SAR 36.1K
$9,781 SAR 36.7K
-1.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60 SAR 225
$58.4 SAR 219
2.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.8 SAR 239
$74.3 SAR 279
-14.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 SAR 398
$85 SAR 319
24.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.1 SAR 368
$97.5 SAR 366
0.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 SAR 4,076
$431 SAR 1,617
152.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$846 SAR 3,174
$376 SAR 1,411
124.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,086 SAR 7,824
$842 SAR 3,160
147.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,109 SAR 4,161
$618 SAR 2,317
79.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,875 SAR 10.8K
$1,128 SAR 4,232
154.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,189 SAR 8,211
$1,056 SAR 3,963
107.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riyadh
Dhahran
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,465 SAR 9,246
$2,860 SAR 10.7K
-13.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.31
4.42
20.14%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 28, 2025

Last update for Dhahran: October 28, 2025

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