Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Najran

For one person, living is cheaper in Najran: $1,238 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Najran
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Najran Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Najran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Najran

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Riyadh vs $1,238 in Najran, rent included.

Riyadh $1,738
Najran $1,238

A couple spends around $2,575 per month in Riyadh vs $1,887 in Najran, rent included.

Riyadh $2,575
Najran $1,887

A family of three spends $3,413 per month in Riyadh vs $2,536 in Najran, rent included.

Riyadh $3,413
Najran $2,536

Riyadh costs about 40% more than Najran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Riyadh sits 29% above the global median, while Najran is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 SAR 30.79

$7.99 SAR 30.00

2.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 SAR 246

$36.76 SAR 138

78.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$9.12 SAR 34.24

-11.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

$1.68 SAR 6.30

25.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

$1.37 SAR 5.13

108.76%

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$4.49 SAR 16.84

-1.34%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.28

$0.64 SAR 2.41

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 SAR 1.25

$0.30 SAR 1.11

10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$2.71 SAR 10.17

-33.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.83

$1.25 SAR 4.69

3.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.28 SAR 8.55

2.63%

Eggs

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$2.41 SAR 9.06

29.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 SAR 39.96

$7.51 SAR 28.20

41.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 SAR 35.12

$7.91 SAR 29.70

18.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 SAR 56.6

$12.77 SAR 47.91

18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 SAR 10.95

$2.12 SAR 7.95

37.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.32

$1.67 SAR 6.26

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SAR 9.35

$1.62 SAR 6.09

53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.61 SAR 6.03

5.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.24 SAR 4.64

-4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.00

$1.31 SAR 4.93

1.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.19 SAR 4.48

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$0.54 SAR 2.01

-1.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

$3.00 SAR 11.25

163.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.82 SAR 6.83

-4.95%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

$2.02 SAR 7.59

18.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$6.44 SAR 24.19

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 SAR 3.86

$1.08 SAR 4.04

-4.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.93 SAR 139

$38.45 SAR 144

-3.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.10

$2.63 SAR 9.86

22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.18

$1.94 SAR 7.27

-1.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.08 SAR 49.10

$14.12 SAR 53.0

-7.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.54 SAR 2.04

18.52%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

$30.9K SAR 115.9K

-13.81%

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

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$23.0K SAR 86.2K

-2.49%

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

$105 SAR 394

$103 SAR 388

1.54%

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

$29.43 SAR 110

$33.14 SAR 124

-11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$66.1 SAR 248

4.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 SAR 291

$77.9 SAR 292

-0.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.7 SAR 209

$81.0 SAR 304

-31.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 SAR 52.6

$13.22 SAR 49.63

5.90%

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

$555 SAR 2,082

$454 SAR 1,703

22.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

$10.6K SAR 39.6K

60.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 SAR 219

$42.90 SAR 161

35.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$54.5 SAR 205

-1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$96.7 SAR 363

7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 391

$85.6 SAR 321

21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SAR 4,270

$544 SAR 2,040

109.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SAR 3,160

$390 SAR 1,463

116.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 SAR 8,102

$937 SAR 3,518

130.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 SAR 4,739

$614 SAR 2,306

105.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

$1,949 SAR 7,314

38.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 SAR 6,212

$1,268 SAR 4,759

30.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,088 SAR 7,837

$1,737 SAR 6,519

20.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Najran: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$842 48.5%

Najran

$390 31.5% 53.7% $452

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Najran

$211 17.1% 12.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$204 11.7%

Najran

$203 16.4% 0.5% $1.1

Eating Out

Riyadh

$148 8.5%

Najran

$149 12% 0.8% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Najran

$126 10.2% 12.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$105 6.1%

Najran

$104 8.4% 1% $1.1

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Najran

$55 4.5% 2.3% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Riyadh versus $544 in Najran. 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 20% 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 $66 in Riyadh versus $37 in Najran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $211 – making Najran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Najran

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

298,288

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Riyadh Najran 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Najran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh costs about 40% more than Najran, 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 $2,607 per month in Riyadh and $1,857 in Najran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Najran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $1,138 in Riyadh.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Riyadh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $555 per month in Riyadh and $454 in Najran. 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 $1,238 in Najran. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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