Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Germany

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saudi Arabia
Germany
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,284
/mo nomad
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,080
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,284 in Saudi Arabia versus $2,080 in Germany.

  • Saudi Arabia $1,284
  • Germany $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,916 in Saudi Arabia versus $3,130 in Germany.

  • Saudi Arabia $1,916
  • Germany $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Saudi Arabia versus $4,180 in Germany.

  • Saudi Arabia $2,549
  • Germany $4,180

Saudi Arabia ($674–$1,738) and Germany ($1,337–$2,681) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Saudi Arabia costs about 38% less than in Germany on average.

Saudi Arabia (6% below) and Germany (53% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.74 SAR 25.28
$16.60 €14.88
-59.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.36 SAR 151
$71.8 €64.4
-43.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.14 SAR 30.53
$12.12 €10.86
-32.84%
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
$3.96 €3.55
-4.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 SAR 2.83
$3.36 €3.01
-77.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 SAR 1.02
$2.89 €2.59
-90.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$5.07 €4.54
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.50 €4.03
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 SAR 6.39
$1.26 €1.13
34.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 SAR 4.17
$2.20 €1.97
-49.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 SAR 8.30
$3.54 €3.17
-37.57%
Eggs
$2.67 SAR 10.01
$3.88 €3.48
-31.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.68 SAR 28.79
$14.24 €12.76
-46.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 SAR 29.48
$11.90 €10.66
-33.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.44 SAR 50.4
$20.68 €18.53
-35.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 SAR 8.10
$3.28 €2.94
-34.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 SAR 6.70
$2.05 €1.83
-12.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.73 SAR 6.48
$2.31 €2.07
-25.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.69 SAR 6.34
$4.29 €3.84
-60.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.31 SAR 4.91
$1.53 €1.37
-14.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 SAR 4.99
$1.50 €1.34
-11.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 SAR 4.76
$1.64 €1.47
-22.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 SAR 2.32
$1.02 €0.91
-39.22%
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
$9.69 €8.68
-24.46%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.01 €5.38
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.12 €1.01
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.56 €1.40
-
🚌 Getting Around
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.10 SAR 4.12
$3.85 €3.45
-71.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.07 SAR 143
$69.7 €62.5
-45.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.74 SAR 10.26
$5.34 €4.78
-48.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.70 SAR 10.12
$2.81 €2.52
-3.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.49 SAR 50.6
$38.83 €34.80
-65.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.60 SAR 2.26
$2.13 €1.91
-71.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K SAR 114.2K
$32.6K €29.2K
-6.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K SAR 80.5K
$37.7K €33.8K
-43.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.9 SAR 367
$342 €307
-71.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.85 SAR 119
$24.87 €22.29
28.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.1 SAR 252
$48.49 €43.45
38.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.8 SAR 300
$39.42 €35.32
102.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.07 SAR 147
$27.47 €24.62
42.23%
Cinema Ticket
$13.92 SAR 52.2
$14.65 €13.13
-4.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$458 SAR 1,718
$611 €547
-25.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,896 SAR 33.4K
$17.3K €15.5K
-48.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.43 SAR 182
$89.1 €79.8
-45.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.7 SAR 213
$42.07 €37.70
34.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.5 SAR 336
$98.3 €88.1
-8.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 SAR 324
$131 €117
-33.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$641 SAR 2,404
$934 €837
-31.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 SAR 1,726
$718 €644
-35.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 SAR 3,781
$1,704 €1,527
-40.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$699 SAR 2,623
$1,294 €1,159
-45.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,013 SAR 7,551
$5,944 €5,326
-66.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,252 SAR 4,696
$3,958 €3,547
-68.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,864 SAR 6,992
$3,290 €2,948
-43.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.4
3.96
36.36%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saudi Arabia
$460
Germany
$718 56.1% $258
Groceries & Markets
Saudi Arabia
$206
Germany
$335 62.4% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saudi Arabia
$197
Germany
$415 111% $219
Eating Out
Saudi Arabia
$128
Germany
$276 116% $148
Clothing & Footwear
Saudi Arabia
$126
Germany
$162 28.2% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Saudi Arabia
$108
Germany
$69 36.2% $39
Getting Around
Saudi Arabia
$59
Germany
$104 78.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $556 in Saudi Arabia, $812 in Germany. Capital cities: $1,149 in Riyadh vs $1,407 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Saudi Arabia, $3,107 in Germany. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 46% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 78% more in Germany.

Public transport is 79% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 59% higher in Germany.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇩🇪 Germany
🕒 Local time
03:12 3:12 AM
01:12 1:12 AM
2 h behind Saudi Arabia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,000,000
84,358,845
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saudi Arabia Germany 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Germany

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 Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Germany or Saudi Arabia?
At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia 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.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Germany or Saudi Arabia?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: 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.
How do rents compare between Germany and Saudi Arabia?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $812 in Germany and $556 in Saudi Arabia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How far does $2,000 go in Germany compared to Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
How do I choose between living in Germany and in Saudi Arabia?
It depends on what you’re after: Saudi Arabia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Saudi Arabia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?