Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,073 in Ha’il.

Riyadh $1,738
Ha'il $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Riyadh versus $1,623 in Ha’il.

Riyadh $2,575
Ha'il $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Riyadh versus $2,174 in Ha’il.

Riyadh $3,413
Ha'il $2,174

Living in Riyadh is roughly 62% more expensive than in Ha’il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 29% above, Ha’il is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$5.40 SAR 20.28

51.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$36.86 SAR 138

77.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$5.91 SAR 22.17

36.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

$1.17 SAR 4.38

79.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

$2.22 SAR 8.32

28.83%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$2.60 SAR 9.77

70.38%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$0.61 SAR 2.30

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$0.23 SAR 0.86

43.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$1.69 SAR 6.34

6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$0.86 SAR 3.21

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$1.88 SAR 7.05

24.47%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$1.93 SAR 7.26

61.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$6.68 SAR 25.08

59.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$8.88 SAR 33.32

5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$8.15 SAR 30.58

84.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$1.49 SAR 5.59

95.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.52 SAR 5.70

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$1.27 SAR 4.77

96.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.94 SAR 7.28

-12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-8.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.61 SAR 6.05

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.23 SAR 4.61

42.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.48 SAR 1.79

10.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

$2.64 SAR 9.92

199.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.72 SAR 6.47

0.58%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

$1.81 SAR 6.78

32.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$6.77 SAR 25.42

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$0.91 SAR 3.43

13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$36.03 SAR 135

2.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$2.67 SAR 10.04

20.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$1.77 SAR 6.65

7.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$13.27 SAR 49.82

-1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

-14.25%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

2.77%

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

$105 SAR 394

$52.8 SAR 198

98.79%

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

$29.43 SAR 110

$21.29 SAR 79.9

38.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$45.84 SAR 172

51.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$66.0 SAR 248

17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

$26.26 SAR 98.6

112.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$14.67 SAR 55.1

-4.57%

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

$555 SAR 2,082

$419 SAR 1,571

32.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

40.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

$42.92 SAR 161

35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$55.5 SAR 208

-3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$97.9 SAR 367

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$83.5 SAR 313

24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$241 SAR 905

372.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$406 SAR 1,525

107.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$361 SAR 1,355

497.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$618 SAR 2,321

104.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$1,982 SAR 7,438

36.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$1,201 SAR 4,507

37.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

$1,081 SAR 4,056

93.20%

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 Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Ha'il

$406 37.9% 51.7% $436

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Ha'il

$179 16.7% 25.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Ha'il

$120 11.2% 41.1% $84

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Ha'il

$96 8.9% 35.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Ha'il

$126 11.7% 12.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Ha'il

$95 8.9% 9.6% $10

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Ha'il

$51 4.8% 4.9% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Riyadh and $241 in Ha’il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 93% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Riyadh vs $37 in Ha’il for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $179 per month, with Ha’il cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

310,897

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Riyadh Ha'il 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Riyadh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 93% 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 $241 in Ha’il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Riyadh versus $419 in Ha’il. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ha’il – a meal for two runs $37 versus $66 in Riyadh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

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

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