Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,395 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Jeddah

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,395 in Jeddah, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Jeddah $1,395

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $2,167 in Jeddah, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
Jeddah $2,167

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $2,940 in Jeddah, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
Jeddah $2,940

Riyadh costs about 25% more than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Riyadh and Jeddah sit above the global median – Riyadh by 28%, Jeddah by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.38

$6.16 SAR 23.10

31.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$79.6 SAR 299

-17.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$9.60 SAR 36.03

-14.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.33 SAR 8.74

-7.30%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$2.66 SAR 9.96

11.65%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.78 SAR 14.18

13.76%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$1.07 SAR 4.01

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.26 SAR 0.98

15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.75 SAR 6.57

4.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.33 SAR 4.99

-1.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.26 SAR 8.47

4.87%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.48 SAR 9.32

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$6.52 SAR 24.47

65.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$8.02 SAR 30.09

16.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.98 SAR 48.70

15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.10 SAR 7.88

35.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.67 SAR 6.27

13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.55 SAR 5.80

59.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.67 SAR 6.28

2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.17 SAR 4.37

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.27 SAR 4.75

0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.11 SAR 4.17

60.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.17

$0.54 SAR 2.04

7.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$4.24 SAR 15.90

92.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.83 SAR 6.86

-0.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.52 SAR 9.45

-1.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.59 SAR 24.72

19.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$0.89 SAR 3.34

16.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$55.1 SAR 207

-30.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$3.14 SAR 11.79

-0.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$1.76 SAR 6.62

8.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.78 SAR 51.7

-3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.64 SAR 2.40

-6.25%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

-32.64%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

2.62%

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

$108 SAR 404

$91.3 SAR 342

17.85%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$38.64 SAR 145

-23.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$67.0 SAR 251

5.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$69.7 SAR 261

19.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$38.79 SAR 146

47.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.96

$11.88 SAR 44.58

12.04%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$786 SAR 2,951

-29.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

-39.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$74.5 SAR 280

-22.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$56.0 SAR 210

-2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$101 SAR 378

3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$95.7 SAR 359

9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$812 SAR 3,048

41.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$558 SAR 2,093

49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$1,315 SAR 4,934

64.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,788

$863 SAR 3,237

47.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$1,688 SAR 6,335

64.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,446

$1,091 SAR 4,094

57.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,702

$1,691 SAR 6,346

21.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.39

2.78%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Jeddah

$558 40% 33.1% $276

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Jeddah

$200 14.4% 17% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Jeddah

$197 14.1% 5.4% $11

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Jeddah

$129 9.2% 11.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Jeddah

$147 10.6% 1.8% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Jeddah

$93 6.7% 14.8% $16

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Jeddah

$71 5.1% 28.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $812 in Jeddah. 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 21% higher in Riyadh, 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 $65 in Riyadh versus $80 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Riyadh vs $200 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

3,430,697

💱 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

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Between locations

Riyadh Jeddah 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh, $1,395 in Jeddah – Jeddah comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Riyadh and $2,092 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Riyadh and $80 in Jeddah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,395 in Jeddah. That makes Jeddah about 20% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,395 in Jeddah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Jeddah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,395 in Jeddah to $1,738 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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