Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,284 in Saudi Arabia versus $791 in China.

Saudi Arabia $1,284
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,916 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,251 in China.

Saudi Arabia $1,916
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,711 in China.

Saudi Arabia $2,549
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Saudi Arabia: monthly costs span $674 to $1,738, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Saudi Arabia.

Living in Saudi Arabia is roughly 62% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Saudi Arabia 6% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$2.98 ¥19.81

126.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.36 SAR 151

$22.09 ¥147

82.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.53

$5.20 ¥34.60

56.54%

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

$2.97 ¥19.74

27.27%

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

$0.75 SAR 2.83

$0.48 ¥3.19

56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.02

$0.30 ¥2.01

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.80 ¥11.96

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$1.68 ¥11.15

-33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.30

$0.92 ¥6.13

140.22%

Eggs

$2.67 SAR 10.01

$1.61 ¥10.73

65.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 SAR 28.79

$13.38 ¥89.1

-42.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 SAR 29.48

$3.35 ¥22.28

134.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.44 SAR 50.4

$11.35 ¥75.5

18.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 SAR 8.10

$1.82 ¥12.12

18.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.31 ¥8.69

36.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.48

$1.49 ¥9.89

16.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$1.27 ¥8.47

33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$0.71 ¥4.73

84.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$0.93 ¥6.21

43.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$0.62 ¥4.12

104.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$0.56 ¥3.74

10.71%

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 27.44

$3.78 ¥25.15

93.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.12

$0.29 ¥1.92

279.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$17.83 ¥119

113.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.26

$1.49 ¥9.89

83.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 SAR 10.12

$0.37 ¥2.49

629.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.49 SAR 50.6

$7.10 ¥47.24

90.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$1.26 ¥8.37

-52.38%

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

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

56.56%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

22.39%

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

$97.9 SAR 367

$54.6 ¥363

79.36%

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

$31.85 SAR 119

$8.73 ¥58.1

264.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 SAR 252

$11.07 ¥73.7

506.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.8 SAR 300

$40.77 ¥271

95.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.07 SAR 147

$14.48 ¥96.4

169.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 SAR 52.2

$6.78 ¥45.12

105.31%

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

$458 SAR 1,718

$517 ¥3,438

-11.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-55.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 SAR 182

$46.53 ¥310

4.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 SAR 213

$35.66 ¥237

59.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 SAR 336

$77.0 ¥512

16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 SAR 324

$80.3 ¥534

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 SAR 2,404

$386 ¥2,567

66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 SAR 1,726

$235 ¥1,561

96.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 SAR 3,781

$822 ¥5,469

22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 SAR 2,623

$453 ¥3,015

54.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,013 SAR 7,551

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-57.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 SAR 4,696

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-47.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,864 SAR 6,992

$1,093 ¥7,275

70.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

3.46

56.07%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8%

China

$235 29.6% 49% $226

Groceries & Markets

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1%

China

$210 26.5% 1.8% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3%

China

$74 9.4% 62.2% $122

Eating Out

Saudi Arabia

$128 10%

China

$88 11.1% 31.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9%

China

$108 13.6% 14.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4%

China

$54 6.9% 49.5% $53

Getting Around

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6%

China

$22 2.8% 61.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $556 in Saudi Arabia, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,149 in Riyadh vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,949 in Saudi Arabia, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 87% higher in Saudi Arabia.

Dining out costs 82% more in Saudi Arabia.

Public transport is 111% more expensive in Saudi Arabia.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Saudi Arabia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Saudi Arabia.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

5 h ahead of Saudi Arabia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saudi Arabia China 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Saudi Arabia
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, China comes out about 38% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $556 in Saudi Arabia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.