Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Jizan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jizan: $933 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Jizan
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Jizan Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Jizan

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Jizan

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $933 in Jizan, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Jizan $933

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $1,536 in Jizan, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
Jizan $1,536

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $2,140 in Jizan, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
Jizan $2,140

Riyadh costs about 86% more than Jizan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 28% above the global median, while Jizan is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$5.37 SAR 20.14

50.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$36.85 SAR 138

77.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$7.43 SAR 27.88

10.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.66 SAR 6.22

30.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.84 SAR 6.90

61.41%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.15 SAR 11.84

36.51%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.72 SAR 2.70

18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.26 SAR 0.97

15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.74 SAR 6.53

5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$0.95 SAR 3.58

37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.16 SAR 8.10

9.72%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.98 SAR 11.19

2.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$7.80 SAR 29.26

38.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$5.20 SAR 19.51

80.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$14.88 SAR 55.9

0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$1.94 SAR 7.27

46.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.56 SAR 5.84

21.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$2.11 SAR 7.93

17.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.51 SAR 5.65

13.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.40 SAR 5.24

-15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.45 SAR 5.45

-11.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.23 SAR 4.63

44.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.75 SAR 2.81

-22.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$1.61 SAR 6.04

406.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.84 SAR 6.92

-1.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$1.56 SAR 5.87

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.77 SAR 25.40

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.09 SAR 4.10

-4.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$22.84 SAR 85.7

66.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$2.64 SAR 9.91

18.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$3.29 SAR 12.36

-41.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$15.89 SAR 59.6

-16.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.64 SAR 2.39

-6.25%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$43.2K SAR 162.1K

-39.37%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$17.1K SAR 64.1K

30.10%

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

$108 SAR 404

$103 SAR 386

4.66%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$37.53 SAR 141

-21.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$62.5 SAR 234

13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$98.4 SAR 369

-15.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$37.14 SAR 139

54.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$16.08 SAR 60.3

-17.23%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$202 SAR 759

173.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$4,141 SAR 15.5K

143.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$32.67 SAR 123

76.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$55.4 SAR 208

-1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$121 SAR 455

-14.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$46.32 SAR 174

126.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$264 SAR 990

335.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$134 SAR 502

523.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$487 SAR 1,827

344.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$366 SAR 1,372

248.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$786 SAR 2,950

253.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

$1,645 SAR 6,173

24.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

10.80%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jizan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Jizan

$134 14.3% 83.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Jizan

$198 21.2% 18.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Jizan

$203 21.7% 2.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Jizan

$107 11.5% 26.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Jizan

$115 12.3% 20.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Jizan

$131 14% 19% $21

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Jizan

$46 5% 15.6% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $264 in Jizan. 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 25% 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 $37 in Jizan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $198 – making Jizan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Jizan

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

127,743

💱 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 Jizan 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Jizan

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 Jizan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 86% more than Jizan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Riyadh and $1,399 in Jizan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jizan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $264 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $933 in Jizan. That makes Jizan about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Jizan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,738 in Riyadh and $933 in Jizan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Jizan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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