Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tabuk and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabuk: $1,178 a month against $1,471 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Tabuk
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Tabuk Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Tabuk

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,178

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tabuk and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,178 in Tabuk versus $1,471 in Al Khobar.

Tabuk $1,178
Al Khobar $1,471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,766 in Tabuk versus $2,231 in Al Khobar.

Tabuk $1,766
Al Khobar $2,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Tabuk versus $2,991 in Al Khobar.

Tabuk $2,354
Al Khobar $2,991

Living in Tabuk costs roughly 20% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tabuk is 13% below, Al Khobar is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 SAR 27.50

$6.74 SAR 25.29

8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.31 SAR 118

$60.2 SAR 226

-47.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 SAR 28.34

$8.14 SAR 30.57

-7.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 SAR 5.05

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-48.08%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$2.67 SAR 10.03

-40.07%

Cappuccino

$3.13 SAR 11.76

$4.35 SAR 16.33

-28.05%

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

$0.73 SAR 2.73

$0.94 SAR 3.54

-22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$0.41 SAR 1.53

-36.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 SAR 7.11

$1.65 SAR 6.18

14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 SAR 3.40

$1.24 SAR 4.67

-26.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 SAR 10.05

$2.46 SAR 9.24

8.94%

Eggs

$2.95 SAR 11.06

$2.35 SAR 8.81

25.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 SAR 47.41

$7.42 SAR 27.87

70.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$10.09 SAR 37.87

-33.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 SAR 47.81

$11.69 SAR 43.86

8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.31

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-28.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.71 SAR 6.40

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-8.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 SAR 8.04

$1.74 SAR 6.52

22.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.42 SAR 5.33

19.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.86

$1.67 SAR 6.25

25.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 SAR 7.09

$1.65 SAR 6.18

14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 SAR 2.24

$0.53 SAR 2.01

13.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.72

$2.62 SAR 9.82

9.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.58 SAR 5.92

15.82%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

$1.87 SAR 7.03

11.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 SAR 24.86

$6.80 SAR 25.50

-2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$0.93 SAR 3.49

12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.23 SAR 136

$54.5 SAR 204

-33.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 SAR 10.14

$1.76 SAR 6.61

53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-36.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$14.22 SAR 53.4

5.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$0.63 SAR 2.38

3.17%

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

$27.0K SAR 101.5K

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

-59.55%

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

$20.4K SAR 76.6K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

-4.63%

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

$104 SAR 392

$96.9 SAR 364

7.83%

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

$36.05 SAR 135

$32.58 SAR 122

10.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 SAR 284

$68.3 SAR 256

10.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 SAR 298

$80.1 SAR 301

-0.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 SAR 50.1

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-12.29%

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

$428 SAR 1,605

$599 SAR 2,249

-28.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,508 SAR 31.9K

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

-54.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.00 SAR 150

$63.5 SAR 238

-36.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.44 SAR 178

$83.0 SAR 311

-42.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 SAR 338

$97.4 SAR 366

-7.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 SAR 342

$94.8 SAR 356

-3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 SAR 1,159

$762 SAR 2,860

-59.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 SAR 1,270

$584 SAR 2,192

-42.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,087

$1,226 SAR 4,602

-54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 SAR 2,128

$912 SAR 3,424

-37.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 SAR 7,379

$1,437 SAR 5,392

36.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,192 SAR 4,474

$1,037 SAR 3,894

14.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 SAR 6,442

$1,872 SAR 7,028

-8.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.88

-5.78%

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

Last update for Tabuk: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tabuk

$338 28.7%

Al Khobar

$584 39.7% 72.6% $246

Groceries & Markets

Tabuk

$222 18.8%

Al Khobar

$217 14.8% 2.3% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tabuk

$216 18.4%

Al Khobar

$198 13.4% 8.6% $19

Eating Out

Tabuk

$123 10.4%

Al Khobar

$136 9.2% 10.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Tabuk

$121 10.3%

Al Khobar

$152 10.4% 26.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tabuk

$106 9%

Al Khobar

$111 7.5% 4.1% $4.4

Getting Around

Tabuk

$52 4.4%

Al Khobar

$73 5% 42.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Tabuk and $762 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31 in Tabuk vs $60 in Al Khobar. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $217, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Tabuk

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Tabuk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

512,629

219,679

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tabuk Al Khobar 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tabuk
Al Khobar

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

Tabuk vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Tabuk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Tabuk versus $762 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $428 in Tabuk versus $599 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tabuk – a meal for two runs $31 versus $60 in Al Khobar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tabuk and Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tabuk wins on affordability, Al Khobar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.