Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Khafji

For one person, living is cheaper in Khafji: $674 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Khafji
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Khafji Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Khafji

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Khafji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $674 in Khafji.

Riyadh $1,738
Khafji $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $1,058 in Khafji.

Riyadh $2,587
Khafji $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $1,443 in Khafji.

Riyadh $3,437
Khafji $1,443

Living in Riyadh is roughly 158% more expensive than in Khafji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Khafji is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$3.24 SAR 12.15

149.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$34.45 SAR 129

89.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.68

$4.96 SAR 18.62

64.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$0.91 SAR 3.40

137.36%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.58 SAR 5.93

87.97%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.13

$2.87 SAR 10.76

49.83%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.79 SAR 2.95

7.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.21 SAR 0.77

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.75 SAR 6.56

4.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.27 SAR 4.78

3.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$1.96 SAR 7.37

20.92%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.12 SAR 7.96

43.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.40

$7.52 SAR 28.21

43.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.17

$7.80 SAR 29.26

20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.98 SAR 48.69

15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.30 SAR 8.61

23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.66 SAR 6.21

14.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.25

$1.64 SAR 6.14

50.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.43

$1.61 SAR 6.05

6.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.11 SAR 4.17

6.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.21 SAR 4.54

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$1.28 SAR 4.81

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.59 SAR 2.21

-1.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.58

$4.25 SAR 15.95

91.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.49 SAR 5.60

22.15%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$2.16 SAR 8.12

14.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$7.68 SAR 28.82

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.74

$2.74 SAR 10.26

14.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-27.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.91

$13.27 SAR 49.79

0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.61 SAR 2.29

-1.64%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.2K

$29.5K SAR 110.5K

-11.11%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

3.67%

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

$108 SAR 403

$131 SAR 490

-17.62%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$32.28 SAR 121

-8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$62.6 SAR 235

13.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 311

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.94

$13.20 SAR 49.54

0.83%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$136 SAR 510

306.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.8K

$3,927 SAR 14.7K

156.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 216

$42.57 SAR 160

35.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$49.96 SAR 187

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$97.0 SAR 364

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$89.8 SAR 337

16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,310

$664 SAR 2,492

72.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,127

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,125

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,786

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,443

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,699

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Khafji: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Khafji

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Khafji

$201 29.8% 16.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Khafji

$225 33.5% 8.3% $17

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Khafji

$79 11.8% 45.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Khafji

$126 18.7% 13% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Khafji

$26 * 3.9% 75.9% $83

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Khafji

$16 * 2.4% 71% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $664 in Khafji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $34 in Khafji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $201 per month, with Khafji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Khafji

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

67,012

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Riyadh Khafji 460 km

From you

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 Khafji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khafji is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,606 in Riyadh and $1,010 in Khafji to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $664 in Khafji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in Riyadh versus $136 in Khafji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Khafji – a meal for two runs $34 versus $65 in Riyadh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Khafji versus $1,738 in Riyadh, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khafji but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. The gap between the two cities makes Khafji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.