Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Hafar Al Batin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hafar Al Batin: $1,177 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Hafar Al Batin
Learn more

Hafar Al Batin Living Index

Jump to prices

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Hafar Al Batin

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,177

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin.

Riyadh $1,738
Hafar Al Batin $1,177

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $1,740 in Hafar Al Batin.

Riyadh $2,587
Hafar Al Batin $1,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $2,303 in Hafar Al Batin.

Riyadh $3,437
Hafar Al Batin $2,303

Living in Riyadh is roughly 48% more expensive than in Hafar Al Batin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Hafar Al Batin is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.38

$5.95 SAR 22.34

35.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$36.72 SAR 138

77.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$8.00 SAR 30.02

2.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.89 SAR 7.11

14.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$2.28 SAR 8.55

30.26%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.19 SAR 11.97

34.80%

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

$0.24 SAR 0.90

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$2.04 SAR 7.67

-10.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.26 SAR 4.73

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.23 SAR 8.38

6.28%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.33 SAR 8.73

30.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.42

$7.35 SAR 27.60

46.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$7.66 SAR 28.76

22.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.71 SAR 47.70

17.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.16 SAR 8.09

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.74 SAR 6.53

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.56 SAR 5.87

58.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.56 SAR 5.84

9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.23 SAR 4.63

-4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.27 SAR 4.76

0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.22 SAR 4.60

45.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.17

$0.57 SAR 2.13

1.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$3.01 SAR 11.29

170.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-0.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.06 SAR 7.72

19.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.84 SAR 25.66

14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.09 SAR 4.07

-4.59%

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

$2.63 SAR 9.88

19.01%

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

$13.19 SAR 49.50

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.65 SAR 2.45

-7.69%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

-8.57%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.9K SAR 82.0K

1.68%

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

$108 SAR 404

$103 SAR 386

4.69%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$32.43 SAR 122

-8.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$65.7 SAR 246

8.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$80.6 SAR 302

3.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.96

$13.06 SAR 49.02

1.91%

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

$554 SAR 2,078

$427 SAR 1,604

29.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$8,044 SAR 30.2K

25.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$41.48 SAR 156

39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$53.4 SAR 200

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$94.4 SAR 354

10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$87.2 SAR 327

20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$568 SAR 2,130

102.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$374 SAR 1,403

122.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,128

$803 SAR 3,012

169.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,788

$561 SAR 2,106

127.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$2,396 SAR 8,993

15.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,446

$1,386 SAR 5,201

23.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,702

$1,403 SAR 5,266

46.25%

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 Hafar Al Batin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Hafar Al Batin

$374 31.8% 55.1% $460

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Hafar Al Batin

$203 17.3% 15.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Hafar Al Batin

$201 17.1% 3.5% $7.3

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Hafar Al Batin

$114 9.7% 21.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Hafar Al Batin

$124 10.6% 13.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Hafar Al Batin

$107 9.1% 2.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Hafar Al Batin

$53 4.5% 3.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $568 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 46% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $37 in Hafar Al Batin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $203 per month, with Hafar Al Batin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Hafar Al Batin

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

271,642

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Hafar Al Batin 430 km

From you

Riyadh
Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafar Al Batin wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Riyadh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hafar Al Batin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $568 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in Riyadh versus $427 in Hafar Al Batin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Riyadh. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hafar Al Batin 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 Hafar Al Batin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hafar Al Batin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.