Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index

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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saudi Arabia and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,284 per month in Saudi Arabia vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Saudi Arabia $1,284
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Saudi Arabia vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Saudi Arabia $1,916
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $2,549 per month in Saudi Arabia vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Saudi Arabia $2,549
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Saudi Arabia ($674–$1,738), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Saudi Arabia is roughly 51% lower than in Australia on average.

Saudi Arabia sits 6% below the global median, while Australia is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$17.65 A$25.07

-61.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.36 SAR 151

$85.2 A$121

-52.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.53

$11.09 A$15.76

-26.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.95

Cappuccino

$3.78 SAR 14.19

$3.90 A$5.53

-3.08%

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

$0.75 SAR 2.83

$2.85 A$4.05

-73.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.02

$2.31 A$3.29

-88.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.76 A$2.50

-3.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$2.81 A$3.99

-60.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.30

$2.24 A$3.18

-1.34%

Eggs

$2.67 SAR 10.02

$5.02 A$7.14

-46.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 SAR 28.80

$9.87 A$14.02

-22.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 SAR 29.49

$9.32 A$13.24

-15.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.44 SAR 50.4

$14.86 A$21.12

-9.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 SAR 8.10

$3.82 A$5.42

-43.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$2.92 A$4.15

-38.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.48

$3.13 A$4.45

-44.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.35

$4.81 A$6.83

-64.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$2.80 A$3.98

-53.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$2.38 A$3.38

-44.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$2.37 A$3.37

-46.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$1.65 A$2.35

-62.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 SAR 8.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.32 SAR 27.45

$39.13 A$55.6

-81.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.12

$2.42 A$3.44

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$94.6 A$134

-59.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$3.49 A$4.97

-21.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 SAR 10.12

$1.60 A$2.27

68.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.49 SAR 50.6

$39.84 A$56.6

-66.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$1.39 A$1.97

-56.83%

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

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

$30.0K A$42.6K

1.46%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$25.8K A$36.6K

-16.66%

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

$97.9 SAR 367

$205 A$291

-52.27%

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

$31.85 SAR 120

$28.33 A$40.26

12.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 SAR 252

$58.8 A$83.5

14.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.8 SAR 300

$55.7 A$79.1

43.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.07 SAR 147

$19.57 A$27.81

99.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 SAR 52.2

$15.38 A$21.85

-9.49%

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

$458 SAR 1,718

$2,145 A$3,048

-78.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-51.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 SAR 182

$78.3 A$111

-38.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 SAR 213

$56.3 A$80.0

0.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 SAR 336

$115 A$164

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 SAR 324

$123 A$175

-29.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 SAR 2,405

$1,591 A$2,261

-59.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 SAR 1,727

$1,293 A$1,837

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 SAR 3,782

$2,524 A$3,587

-60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 SAR 2,623

$2,005 A$2,849

-65.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,013 SAR 7,553

$8,751 A$12.4K

-77.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 SAR 4,697

$6,260 A$8,895

-80.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,864 SAR 6,994

$3,984 A$5,661

-53.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

5.93

-8.94%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 181% $833

Groceries & Markets

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1%

Australia

$374 14.3% 81.4% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3%

Australia

$292 11.1% 48.4% $95

Eating Out

Saudi Arabia

$128 10%

Australia

$297 11.3% 132% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 32.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4%

Australia

$86 3.3% 19.8% $21

Getting Around

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6%

Australia

$116 4.4% 97.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $556 in Saudi Arabia vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,149 in Riyadh and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $1,949 in Saudi Arabia vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 149% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 110% more in Australia.

Public transport is 121% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 99% higher in Australia.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

11:12 11:12 AM

8 h ahead of Saudi Arabia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000,000

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saudi Arabia Australia 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Saudi Arabia
Australia

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

Saudi Arabia vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saudi Arabia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 51% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $556 in Saudi Arabia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Saudi Arabia – part of why living there is about 51% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Saudi Arabia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.