Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,351 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Medina

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,351 in Medina, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Medina $1,351

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Riyadh vs $1,806 in Medina, rent included.

Riyadh $2,587
Medina $1,806

A family of three spends $3,437 per month in Riyadh vs $2,261 in Medina, rent included.

Riyadh $3,437
Medina $2,261

Riyadh costs about 29% more than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$5.63 SAR 21.14

43.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$31.66 SAR 119

106.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.69

$7.98 SAR 29.93

2.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$1.58 SAR 5.92

36.71%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

$1.76 SAR 6.59

68.75%

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.14

$2.61 SAR 9.78

64.75%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$0.78 SAR 2.94

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$0.23 SAR 0.86

30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.49 SAR 5.61

22.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$0.97 SAR 3.66

35.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$2.30 SAR 8.61

3.04%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$2.12 SAR 7.95

43.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.41

$5.38 SAR 20.20

100.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.18

$7.26 SAR 27.25

29.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$12.83 SAR 48.15

16.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.46 SAR 9.25

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.93 SAR 7.25

-1.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$2.34 SAR 8.78

5.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.44

$1.55 SAR 5.80

10.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.41 SAR 5.30

-16.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.32 SAR 4.96

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.70

$0.90 SAR 3.38

97.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.69 SAR 2.61

-15.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.59

$1.36 SAR 5.11

499.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

$1.48 SAR 5.56

22.97%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

$1.64 SAR 6.17

50.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.46

$7.36 SAR 27.62

6.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-0.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$37.74 SAR 142

0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$1.31 SAR 4.90

138.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$1.65 SAR 6.21

15.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.93

$5.71 SAR 21.42

133.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.63 SAR 2.38

-4.76%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

$42.7K SAR 160.4K

-38.72%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$20.9K SAR 78.2K

6.60%

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

$108 SAR 404

$148 SAR 555

-27.28%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$27.56 SAR 103

7.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$89.2 SAR 335

-20.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 312

$77.9 SAR 292

6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$8.84 SAR 33.19

547.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.95

$13.17 SAR 49.42

1.06%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$293 SAR 1,101

88.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

$5,518 SAR 20.7K

82.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 217

$37.11 SAR 139

55.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$52.8 SAR 198

3.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$65.9 SAR 247

58.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$68.1 SAR 256

53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,312

$550 SAR 2,064

108.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,128

$533 SAR 1,999

56.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,127

$779 SAR 2,922

178.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,787

$581 SAR 2,179

119.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$2,256 SAR 8,465

23.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,445

$1,362 SAR 5,112

26.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,701

$1,257 SAR 4,717

63.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.17

32.85%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$833 48%

Medina

$533 39.4% 36.1% $301

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Medina

$193 14.3% 20% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Medina

$265 19.6% 27.1% $56

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Medina

$104 7.7% 28.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Medina

$101 7.5% 30.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Medina

$104 7.7% 4.9% $5.4

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Medina

$52 3.8% 6.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Riyadh versus $550 in Medina. 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 63% higher in Riyadh. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Riyadh versus $32 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $193 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

1,100,093

💱 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

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Between locations

Riyadh Medina 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 29% more than Medina, 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 $2,027 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,149 in Riyadh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,351 in Medina. That makes Medina about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $554 per month in Riyadh and $293 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,351 in Medina. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – 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 Medina. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.