Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Medina Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Medina

😐 Solo nomad: Riyadh is 14.8% more expensive than Medina without rent, and 20.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Riyadh is 42.3% more expensive than Medina without rent, and 45.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.12 SAR 30.47
$5.55 SAR 20.83
46.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.2 SAR 199
$32.01 SAR 120
66.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.1 SAR 30.38
$7.8 SAR 29.26
3.85%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 SAR 6.66
$1.55 SAR 5.83
14.84%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 SAR 8.35
$1.7 SAR 6.39
31.18%
Cappuccino
$4.06 SAR 15.23
$2.54 SAR 9.52
59.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 SAR 2.71
$0.76 SAR 2.85
-5.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 SAR 1.08
$0.41 SAR 1.55
-29.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 SAR 6.38
$1.62 SAR 6.06
4.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.92
$0.93 SAR 3.5
40.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 SAR 8.87
$2.3 SAR 8.62
3.04%
Eggs
$2.63 SAR 9.86
$2.11 SAR 7.93
24.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 SAR 31.16
$6.69 SAR 25.09
24.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.9 SAR 37.13
$7.16 SAR 26.85
38.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.74 SAR 55.3
$12.53 SAR 46.99
17.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 SAR 8.4
$2.37 SAR 8.88
-5.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 SAR 6.58
$2.14 SAR 8.04
-18.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 SAR 7.02
$2.15 SAR 8.06
-13.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.91
$1.7 SAR 6.38
-7.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 SAR 4.84
$1.43 SAR 5.38
-9.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 SAR 5.48
$1.44 SAR 5.41
1.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 SAR 5.21
$0.98 SAR 3.69
41.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 SAR 1.93
$0.86 SAR 3.24
-40.70%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$9.47 SAR 35.52
$1.34 SAR 5.04
606.72%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 SAR 6.7
$1.68 SAR 6.3
6.55%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SAR 8.79
$1.58 SAR 5.91
48.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.19 SAR 26.95
$7.44 SAR 27.91
-3.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 SAR 4.09
$1.05 SAR 3.95
3.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.56 SAR 137
$37.06 SAR 139
-1.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 SAR 11.91
$1.3 SAR 4.88
143.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 SAR 6.81
$1.71 SAR 6.42
5.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.18 SAR 49.46
$5.72 SAR 21.46
130.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.4
$0.59 SAR 2.23
8.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K SAR 130.6K
$21.1K SAR 79K
65.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K SAR 87.5K
$21.4K SAR 80.4K
8.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 SAR 396
$204 SAR 764
-48.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.22 SAR 128
$33.28 SAR 125
2.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.1 SAR 282
$101 SAR 380
-25.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$107 SAR 400
$76.3 SAR 286
39.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.4 SAR 219
$8.63 SAR 32.38
576.48%
Cinema Ticket
$15.84 SAR 59.4
$13.48 SAR 50.6
17.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$456 SAR 1,711
$292 SAR 1,095
56.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,612 SAR 36.1K
$7,581 SAR 28.4K
26.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60 SAR 225
$36.67 SAR 138
63.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.8 SAR 239
$54.2 SAR 203
17.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 SAR 398
$66.5 SAR 249
59.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.1 SAR 368
$98.2 SAR 368
-0.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 SAR 4,076
$431 SAR 1,616
152.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$846 SAR 3,174
$567 SAR 2,127
49.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,086 SAR 7,824
$717 SAR 2,691
190.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,109 SAR 4,161
$410 SAR 1,537
170.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,875 SAR 10.8K
$3,845 SAR 14.4K
-25.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,189 SAR 8,211
$1,097 SAR 4,114
99.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riyadh
Medina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,465 SAR 9,246
$1,317 SAR 4,942
87.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.31
3
77.00%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 28, 2025

Last update for Medina: October 28, 2025

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