Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $1,284 in Saudi Arabia, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more

Turkey Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,284 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,212 in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia $1,284
Turkey $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,916 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,844 in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia $1,916
Turkey $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Saudi Arabia versus $2,475 in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia $2,549
Turkey $2,475

Saudi Arabia ($674–$1,738) and Turkey ($656–$1,765) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Saudi Arabia is roughly 6% more expensive than in Turkey on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Saudi Arabia 6% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$9.14 ₺455

-26.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.36 SAR 151

$40.12 ₺1,999

0.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.53

$8.91 ₺444

-8.64%

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

$3.75 ₺187

0.80%

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

$0.75 SAR 2.83

$1.47 ₺73.3

-48.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.02

$0.56 ₺27.66

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₺192

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 ₺245

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

$1.02 ₺51.1

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$1.00 ₺49.93

11.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.30

$2.20 ₺110

0.45%

Eggs

$2.67 SAR 10.02

$2.21 ₺110

20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 SAR 28.80

$9.72 ₺484

-20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 SAR 29.49

$4.86 ₺242

61.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.44 SAR 50.4

$20.09 ₺1,001

-33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 SAR 8.10

$1.86 ₺92.5

16.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.98 ₺98.9

-9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.48

$1.06 ₺53.1

63.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.35

$1.36 ₺67.9

24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$0.54 ₺26.86

142.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$0.45 ₺22.31

195.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$1.00 ₺49.61

27.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$0.69 ₺34.23

-10.14%

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

$2.26 ₺113

223.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 ₺593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₺142

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.12

$0.76 ₺38.01

44.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$39.49 ₺1,968

-3.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$1.42 ₺70.9

92.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 SAR 10.12

$0.84 ₺41.65

221.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.49 SAR 50.6

$7.98 ₺398

69.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$1.38 ₺68.8

-56.52%

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

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-26.88%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-46.80%

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

$97.9 SAR 367

$75.0 ₺3,736

30.55%

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

$31.85 SAR 120

$10.38 ₺517

206.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 SAR 252

$15.56 ₺775

331.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.8 SAR 300

$55.2 ₺2,752

44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.07 SAR 147

$21.01 ₺1,047

85.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 SAR 52.2

$6.87 ₺342

102.62%

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

$458 SAR 1,718

$680 ₺33.9K

-32.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

$15.9K ₺792.4K

-44.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 SAR 182

$54.7 ₺2,724

-11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 SAR 213

$42.98 ₺2,142

31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 SAR 336

$102 ₺5,074

-12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 SAR 324

$93.9 ₺4,677

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 SAR 2,405

$614 ₺30.6K

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 SAR 1,727

$441 ₺22.0K

4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 SAR 3,782

$1,011 ₺50.4K

-0.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 SAR 2,623

$703 ₺35.0K

-0.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,013 SAR 7,553

$1,710 ₺85.2K

17.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 SAR 4,697

$1,115 ₺55.6K

12.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,864 SAR 6,994

$1,061 ₺52.9K

75.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

41.67

-87.04%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 4.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 16% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 48.7% $96

Eating Out

Saudi Arabia

$128 10%

Turkey

$182 15% 42.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 4.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 35.9% $39

Getting Around

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6%

Turkey

$48 4% 17.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $556 in Saudi Arabia, $446 in Turkey. Capital cities: $1,149 in Riyadh vs $765 in Ankara.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Saudi Arabia, $1,034 in Turkey. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 25% higher in Saudi Arabia.

Dining out costs 18% more in Saudi Arabia.

Public transport is 15% more expensive in Saudi Arabia.

Salaries are 88% higher in Saudi Arabia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Saudi Arabia.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

Same time as Saudi Arabia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000,000

85,372,377

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saudi Arabia Turkey 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saudi Arabia
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,284 per month in Saudi Arabia and $1,212 in Turkey, Turkey comes out about 6% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $556 in Saudi Arabia and $446 in Turkey. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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