Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakakah and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,188 a month against $1,223 in Sakakah, rent and utilities included – about $420 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,223

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sakakah and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sakakah and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Sakakah versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam.

Sakakah $1,223
Ad Dammam $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,793 in Sakakah versus $1,803 in Ad Dammam.

Sakakah $1,793
Ad Dammam $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,364 in Sakakah versus $2,418 in Ad Dammam.

Sakakah $2,364
Ad Dammam $2,418

Living in Sakakah is roughly 3% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sakakah 10% lower, Ad Dammam 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 SAR 21.79

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-13.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.64 SAR 138

$34.35 SAR 129

6.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 SAR 29.29

$6.62 SAR 24.84

17.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.13

$1.84 SAR 6.89

17.93%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$2.22 SAR 8.32

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$3.65 SAR 13.69

$3.02 SAR 11.33

20.86%

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

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.77 SAR 2.87

-16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 SAR 1.28

$0.16 SAR 0.59

112.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SAR 6.26

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-2.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 SAR 5.08

$1.29 SAR 4.84

4.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$1.88 SAR 7.07

25.53%

Eggs

$2.38 SAR 8.94

$2.12 SAR 7.96

12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 SAR 28.82

$7.47 SAR 28.04

2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 SAR 25.42

$7.70 SAR 28.90

-12.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 SAR 47.25

$12.77 SAR 47.93

-1.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 SAR 8.33

$2.29 SAR 8.59

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 SAR 6.46

$1.63 SAR 6.13

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$1.64 SAR 6.16

-3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

$1.55 SAR 5.83

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.63

$1.08 SAR 4.04

13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.95

$1.17 SAR 4.37

12.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 SAR 4.45

$1.25 SAR 4.71

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 1.98

$0.56 SAR 2.12

-5.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.76 SAR 10.37

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-34.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.46 SAR 5.49

21.23%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SAR 7.23

$2.11 SAR 7.92

-8.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 SAR 21.92

$7.80 SAR 29.28

-25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$0.88 SAR 3.30

11.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.58 SAR 137

$38.25 SAR 144

-4.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 SAR 10.55

$2.28 SAR 8.57

23.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 SAR 6.50

$1.35 SAR 5.08

28.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 SAR 55.6

$13.89 SAR 52.1

6.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.23

$0.61 SAR 2.28

-3.28%

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

$25.1K SAR 94.4K

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

-13.56%

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

$24.2K SAR 90.9K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

14.02%

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

$119 SAR 445

$130 SAR 489

-9.00%

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

$37.42 SAR 140

$32.31 SAR 121

15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 SAR 276

$64.2 SAR 241

14.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.1 SAR 297

$70.4 SAR 264

12.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.59 SAR 107

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 SAR 44.80

$13.39 SAR 50.3

-10.83%

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

$380 SAR 1,426

$414 SAR 1,554

-8.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K SAR 41.2K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

4.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.10 SAR 143

$42.50 SAR 160

-10.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 SAR 224

$48.93 SAR 184

22.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 379

$96.0 SAR 360

5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 SAR 303

$92.0 SAR 345

-12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 SAR 2,114

$531 SAR 1,993

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 SAR 1,494

$376 SAR 1,410

6.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 SAR 3,274

$947 SAR 3,553

-7.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 SAR 2,267

$665 SAR 2,495

-9.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,840 SAR 6,905

$1,479 SAR 5,552

24.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,239 SAR 4,651

$779 SAR 2,925

59.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$912 SAR 3,422

$1,508 SAR 5,659

-39.52%

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 Sakakah: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sakakah

$398 32.6%

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6% 5.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sakakah

$230 18.8%

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1% 1.2% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Sakakah

$197 16.1%

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7% 0.7% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sakakah

$126 10.3%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6% 0% $0

Eating Out

Sakakah

$118 9.6%

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6% 3.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sakakah

$103 8.4%

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2% 5.7% $5.8

Getting Around

Sakakah

$52 4.3%

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3% 2.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $563 in Sakakah and $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Sakakah vs $34 in Ad Dammam. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $198, with Sakakah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

Same time as Sakakah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,813

903,312

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sakakah Ad Dammam 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sakakah
Ad Dammam

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

Sakakah vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Sakakah. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Sakakah. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $563 in Sakakah versus $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sakakah runs roughly 4% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,223 per month in Sakakah versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam – Ad Dammam is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sakakah and Ad Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.