Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakakah and Riyadh

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sakakah and in Riyadh

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

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

Sakakah $1,188
Riyadh $1,738

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

Sakakah $1,756
Riyadh $2,567

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

Sakakah $2,324
Riyadh $3,396

Living in Sakakah costs roughly 32% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 SAR 21.49

$8.09 SAR 30.35

-29.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.30 SAR 140

$66.3 SAR 249

-43.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.76

$8.16 SAR 30.64

0.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

$2.08 SAR 7.79

4.81%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

$2.98 SAR 11.19

-44.97%

Cappuccino

$3.50 SAR 13.13

$4.25 SAR 15.96

-17.65%

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

$0.68 SAR 2.55

$0.91 SAR 3.41

-25.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 SAR 1.19

$0.32 SAR 1.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.46

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.26 SAR 4.72

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 SAR 8.75

$2.43 SAR 9.13

-4.12%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.80

$3.13 SAR 11.76

-24.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 SAR 27.81

$10.69 SAR 40.11

-30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.31

$9.44 SAR 35.41

-14.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 SAR 47.89

$15.19 SAR 57.0

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 SAR 8.36

$2.84 SAR 10.65

-21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.96 SAR 7.36

-10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.98

$2.53 SAR 9.51

-37.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

$1.70 SAR 6.37

-7.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.39

$1.18 SAR 4.44

-0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$1.28 SAR 4.81

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 SAR 4.55

$1.70 SAR 6.37

-28.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.01

$0.57 SAR 2.12

-5.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.18

$7.83 SAR 29.38

-61.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SAR 6.54

$1.80 SAR 6.77

-3.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

$2.39 SAR 8.95

-12.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 SAR 25.22

$7.50 SAR 28.15

-10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$1.07 SAR 4.03

1.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.36 SAR 140

$37.34 SAR 140

0.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.84

$3.11 SAR 11.69

-15.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$1.81 SAR 6.79

3.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.96

$13.23 SAR 49.66

0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.65 SAR 2.44

-7.69%

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

$44.8K SAR 168.1K

$34.7K SAR 130.1K

29.22%

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

$21.2K SAR 79.4K

$22.9K SAR 85.8K

-7.46%

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

$105 SAR 393

$106 SAR 396

-0.81%

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

$32.57 SAR 122

$29.61 SAR 111

10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 SAR 248

$70.7 SAR 265

-6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.3 SAR 301

$91.6 SAR 344

-12.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.9 SAR 214

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 SAR 49.89

$13.09 SAR 49.11

1.60%

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

$417 SAR 1,565

$523 SAR 1,963

-20.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,055 SAR 30.2K

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

-21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.19 SAR 162

$58.8 SAR 221

-26.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$53.1 SAR 199

4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$101 SAR 379

-3.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 SAR 321

$103 SAR 386

-16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,150

$1,179 SAR 4,425

-51.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 SAR 1,417

$832 SAR 3,122

-54.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 SAR 3,081

$2,227 SAR 8,359

-63.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 SAR 2,123

$1,224 SAR 4,595

-53.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 SAR 8,868

$2,996 SAR 11.2K

-21.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,366 SAR 5,125

$1,913 SAR 7,177

-28.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 SAR 3,562

$2,067 SAR 7,757

-54.07%

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 Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sakakah

$378 31.8%

Riyadh

$832 47.9% 120% $454

Groceries & Markets

Sakakah

$203 17.1%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 18.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sakakah

$203 17.1%

Riyadh

$206 11.8% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sakakah

$127 10.7%

Riyadh

$142 8.2% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Sakakah

$116 9.8%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 24.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sakakah

$107 9%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 10.2% $11

Getting Around

Sakakah

$54 4.5%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $573 in Sakakah and $1,179 in Riyadh. 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: $37.00 in Sakakah vs $66.0 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $242 per month, with Sakakah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

Same time as Sakakah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,813

5,188,286 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sakakah Riyadh 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sakakah
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 118% lower in Riyadh. 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: $573 in Sakakah versus $1,179 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,188 per month in Sakakah versus $1,738 in Riyadh – 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, Sakakah and Riyadh 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.