Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Saudi Arabia

Name: Saudi Arabia
Address: SA

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
Learn more

Spain Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Spain versus $1,284 in Saudi Arabia.

Spain $1,775
Saudi Arabia $1,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Spain versus $1,916 in Saudi Arabia.

Spain $2,606
Saudi Arabia $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Spain versus $2,549 in Saudi Arabia.

Spain $3,438
Saudi Arabia $2,549

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $674–$1,738 in Saudi Arabia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 38% more expensive than in Saudi Arabia on average.

Spain (30% above) and Saudi Arabia (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.99

$6.74 SAR 25.28

147.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €50.0

$40.36 SAR 151

38.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.21

$8.14 SAR 30.53

39.68%

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

$2.42 €2.17

$3.78 SAR 14.19

-35.98%

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

$2.68 €2.41

$0.75 SAR 2.83

257.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.61

$0.27 SAR 1.02

562.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.70 SAR 6.39

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.11 SAR 4.17

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.21 SAR 8.30

-24.43%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$2.67 SAR 10.02

28.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.73

$7.68 SAR 28.80

84.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.48

$7.86 SAR 29.49

5.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.56

$13.44 SAR 50.4

20.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.16 SAR 8.10

13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.79 SAR 6.70

13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.73 SAR 6.48

20.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$1.69 SAR 6.35

52.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.31 SAR 4.91

39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.33 SAR 4.99

50.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.27 SAR 4.76

3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.62 SAR 2.32

24.19%

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)

$6.36 €5.72

$7.32 SAR 27.45

-13.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.48

$1.10 SAR 4.12

49.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.57

$38.07 SAR 143

-13.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.98

$2.74 SAR 10.27

61.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.70 SAR 10.12

-45.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.44

$13.49 SAR 50.6

85.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.60 SAR 2.26

195.00%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

16.68%

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

$30.6K €27.5K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

42.63%

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

$149 €134

$97.9 SAR 367

52.54%

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

$17.67 €15.88

$31.85 SAR 120

-44.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.64

$67.1 SAR 252

-52.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.74

$79.8 SAR 300

-44.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.74

$39.07 SAR 147

-60.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.68

$13.92 SAR 52.2

-30.60%

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

$544 €489

$458 SAR 1,718

18.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,527

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

19.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.3

$48.43 SAR 182

75.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.34

$56.7 SAR 213

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €80.1

$89.5 SAR 336

-0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €95.0

$86.3 SAR 324

22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €949

$641 SAR 2,405

64.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €726

$460 SAR 1,727

75.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,456

$1,008 SAR 3,782

60.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,119

$699 SAR 2,623

78.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,715

$2,013 SAR 7,553

105.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,365

$1,252 SAR 4,697

110.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,796

$1,864 SAR 6,994

7.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.4

-38.89%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8% 43% $348

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1% 24.1% $65

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Saudi Arabia

$128 10% 46.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3% 1% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4% 69.4% $44

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6% 14.5% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $920 in Spain, $556 in Saudi Arabia. Capital cities: $1,508 in Madrid vs $1,149 in Riyadh.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $1,949 in Saudi Arabia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 65% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 43% more in Spain.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Saudi Arabia.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

33,000,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spain Saudi Arabia 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Saudi Arabia

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

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

At $1,284 per month in Saudi Arabia and $1,775 in Spain, Saudi Arabia comes out about 28% 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 $920 in Spain and $556 in Saudi Arabia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Saudi Arabia, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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