Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Jubail

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Jubail

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,100 in Jubail.

Riyadh $1,738
Jubail $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $1,720 in Jubail.

Riyadh $2,587
Jubail $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $2,339 in Jubail.

Riyadh $3,437
Jubail $2,339

Living in Riyadh is roughly 58% more expensive than in Jubail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Jubail is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.38

$6.82 SAR 25.61

18.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$39.32 SAR 148

66.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$9.07 SAR 34.04

-9.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.92 SAR 7.22

12.50%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$2.29 SAR 8.60

29.69%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$3.99 SAR 14.98

7.77%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$1.00 SAR 3.74

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.28 SAR 1.06

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.50 SAR 5.62

22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.45 SAR 5.46

-9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$1.62 SAR 6.09

46.30%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.06 SAR 7.74

47.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.42

$9.82 SAR 36.86

9.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.19

$6.44 SAR 24.17

45.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.15 SAR 45.59

23.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.24 SAR 8.39

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.76 SAR 6.60

7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$1.56 SAR 5.87

58.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.69 SAR 6.35

1.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-8.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.40 SAR 5.25

-8.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$1.75 SAR 6.56

1.71%

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 30.60

$3.00 SAR 11.28

171.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$2.19 SAR 8.22

-16.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.03 SAR 7.63

21.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$6.64 SAR 24.91

18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-20.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$23.90 SAR 89.7

59.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-3.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-30.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.61 SAR 2.27

-1.64%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

-2.22%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

2.53%

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

$108 SAR 404

$80.1 SAR 301

34.24%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$27.36 SAR 103

8.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$66.1 SAR 248

7.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$104 SAR 391

-20.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$39.93 SAR 150

43.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.96

$13.58 SAR 51.0

-1.99%

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

$554 SAR 2,078

$178 SAR 668

211.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$7,690 SAR 28.9K

31.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$42.14 SAR 158

36.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$59.3 SAR 222

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$80.1 SAR 300

30.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$86.6 SAR 325

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$424 SAR 1,591

170.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$295 SAR 1,105

183.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,128

$667 SAR 2,503

224.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,788

$520 SAR 1,951

145.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,446

$1,396 SAR 5,240

23.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,702

$1,605 SAR 6,023

27.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.62

-1.42%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Jubail

$295 26.8% 64.7% $539

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Jubail

$199 18.1% 17.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Jubail

$174 15.8% 16.6% $35

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Jubail

$135 12.3% 7.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Jubail

$121 11% 16.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Jubail

$131 11.9% 19.7% $22

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Jubail

$46 4.2% 16.1% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $424 in Jubail. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 28% 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 $39 in Jubail for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $199 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Jubail

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

337,778

💱 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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Riyadh Jubail 390 km

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Riyadh
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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 Jubail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Riyadh. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $424 in Jubail. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,738 per month in Riyadh versus $1,100 in Jubail – Jubail is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Jubail runs roughly 37% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Jubail 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 Jubail are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Jubail gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.