Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakakah: $1,188 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Sakakah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,188 in Sakakah.

Riyadh $1,738
Sakakah $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Riyadh versus $1,756 in Sakakah.

Riyadh $2,567
Sakakah $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,396 in Riyadh versus $2,324 in Sakakah.

Riyadh $3,396
Sakakah $2,324

Living in Riyadh is roughly 46% more expensive than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 29% above, Sakakah is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.35

$5.73 SAR 21.49

41.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 SAR 249

$37.30 SAR 140

77.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 SAR 30.64

$8.20 SAR 30.76

-0.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.79

$2.18 SAR 8.18

-4.59%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

$1.64 SAR 6.16

81.71%

Cappuccino

$4.25 SAR 15.96

$3.50 SAR 13.13

21.43%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$0.68 SAR 2.55

33.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 SAR 1.20

$0.32 SAR 1.19

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.72 SAR 6.46

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$2.33 SAR 8.75

4.29%

Eggs

$3.13 SAR 11.76

$2.35 SAR 8.80

33.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 SAR 40.11

$7.41 SAR 27.81

44.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 SAR 35.41

$8.08 SAR 30.31

16.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 SAR 57.0

$12.76 SAR 47.89

19.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

$2.23 SAR 8.36

27.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 SAR 7.36

$1.76 SAR 6.60

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 SAR 9.51

$1.59 SAR 5.98

59.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.58 SAR 5.93

7.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.17 SAR 4.39

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.81

$1.28 SAR 4.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

$1.21 SAR 4.55

40.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.12

$0.54 SAR 2.01

5.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.83 SAR 29.38

$2.98 SAR 11.18

162.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 SAR 6.77

$1.74 SAR 6.54

3.45%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.95

$2.10 SAR 7.89

13.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.50 SAR 28.15

$6.72 SAR 25.22

11.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-1.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.34 SAR 140

$37.36 SAR 140

-0.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$2.62 SAR 9.84

18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

$1.88 SAR 7.07

-3.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$13.31 SAR 49.96

-0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.60 SAR 2.26

8.33%

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

$34.7K SAR 130.1K

$44.8K SAR 168.1K

-22.61%

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

$22.9K SAR 85.8K

$21.2K SAR 79.4K

8.06%

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

$106 SAR 396

$105 SAR 393

0.81%

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

$29.61 SAR 111

$32.57 SAR 122

-9.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 SAR 265

$66.0 SAR 248

7.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 SAR 344

$80.3 SAR 301

14.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 SAR 214

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$13.30 SAR 49.89

-1.58%

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

$523 SAR 1,963

$417 SAR 1,565

25.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$8,055 SAR 30.2K

27.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 SAR 221

$43.19 SAR 162

36.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 SAR 199

$55.4 SAR 208

-4.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 379

$97.4 SAR 366

3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SAR 386

$85.7 SAR 321

20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 SAR 4,425

$573 SAR 2,150

105.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,122

$378 SAR 1,417

120.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 SAR 8,359

$821 SAR 3,081

171.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 SAR 4,595

$566 SAR 2,123

116.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 SAR 11.2K

$2,363 SAR 8,868

26.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 SAR 7,177

$1,366 SAR 5,125

40.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,067 SAR 7,757

$949 SAR 3,562

117.74%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$832 47.9%

Sakakah

$378 31.8% 54.6% $454

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 15.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$206 11.8%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 1.3% $2.6

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Sakakah

$116 9.8% 19.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$142 8.2%

Sakakah

$127 10.7% 10.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Sakakah

$107 9% 9.3% $11

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Sakakah

$54 4.5% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Riyadh and $573 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 118% 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: $66.0 in Riyadh vs $37.00 in Sakakah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $203 per month, with Sakakah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

242,813

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Riyadh Sakakah 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh and Sakakah differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,738 vs $1,188 including rent). Sakakah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 118% 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: $1,179 in Riyadh versus $573 in Sakakah. 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 $1,188 in Sakakah – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sakakah runs roughly 0% less than in Riyadh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,188 in Sakakah versus $1,738 in Riyadh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sakakah but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. The gap between the two cities makes Sakakah 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.

Safety-wise, Riyadh and Sakakah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sakakah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.