Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,268 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,268

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Saudi Arabia is 32.9% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 55.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Saudi Arabia is 35% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 55.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 SAR 24.30

$13.04 AED 47.89

-50.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.23 SAR 151

$81.4 AED 299

-50.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 SAR 29.67

$9.32 AED 34.25

-15.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 SAR 7.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.12

Cappuccino

$3.65 SAR 13.69

$5.97 AED 21.93

-38.86%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.03

$1.63 AED 5.98

-50.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.01

$0.81 AED 2.99

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$1.81 AED 6.64

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 SAR 4.05

$1.57 AED 5.78

-31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.31

$2.49 AED 9.16

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$3.28 AED 12.04

-22.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 SAR 27.81

$12.67 AED 46.53

-41.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 SAR 30.71

$9.75 AED 35.80

-16.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 SAR 49.17

$13.18 AED 48.40

-0.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 SAR 8.22

$2.61 AED 9.57

-16.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.93 AED 7.09

-7.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.92 AED 7.05

-7.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.04

$1.36 AED 5.00

18.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$1.17 AED 4.29

15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.90

$1.01 AED 3.71

28.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 SAR 4.56

$1.51 AED 5.56

-19.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.15

$0.62 AED 2.29

-8.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.27 SAR 16.02

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.58 SAR 28.48

$5.85 AED 21.50

29.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$1.64 AED 6.03

-36.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.03 SAR 143

$73.6 AED 270

-48.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$3.17 AED 11.66

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 SAR 10.17

$0.71 AED 2.63

281.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.45 SAR 50.5

$7.96 AED 29.23

68.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.42

$0.99 AED 3.64

-35.35%

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

$67.1K SAR 252.1K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

145.32%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.2K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-4.11%

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

$96.1 SAR 361

$250 AED 920

-61.61%

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

$31.59 SAR 119

$54.2 AED 199

-41.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 SAR 253

$91.8 AED 337

-26.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.1 SAR 320

$98.6 AED 362

-13.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.83 SAR 146

$42.61 AED 156

-8.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 SAR 52.2

$16.03 AED 58.9

-13.23%

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

$432 SAR 1,623

$843 AED 3,098

-48.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,116 SAR 34.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-50.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.80 SAR 179

$68.0 AED 250

-29.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 SAR 213

$57.9 AED 213

-2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 SAR 337

$101 AED 370

-10.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 SAR 318

$101 AED 371

-16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 SAR 2,295

$2,380 AED 8,741

-74.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 SAR 1,655

$1,506 AED 5,531

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 SAR 3,657

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-78.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 SAR 2,447

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-78.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,344 SAR 8,801

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-67.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,391 SAR 5,225

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-66.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,885 SAR 7,078

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-44.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

4.54

18.94%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saudi Arabia

$441 34.9%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 242% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Saudi Arabia

$205 16.3%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 42.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saudi Arabia

$195 15.5%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 103% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Saudi Arabia

$126 10%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 17.4% $22

Eating Out

Saudi Arabia

$124 9.8%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 150% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Saudi Arabia

$113 9%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 15.7% $18

Getting Around

Saudi Arabia

$58 4.6%

Dubai

$87 3% 48.7% $28

Good to know

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

1 h ahead of Saudi Arabia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saudi Arabia Dubai 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saudi Arabia
Dubai

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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Dubai

AED, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia

Dubai

Saudi Arabia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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