Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,188 a month against $1,271 in Taif, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taif and in Ad Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Taif versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam.

Taif $1,271
Ad Dammam $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,863 in Taif versus $1,803 in Ad Dammam.

Taif $1,863
Ad Dammam $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,456 in Taif versus $2,418 in Ad Dammam.

Taif $2,456
Ad Dammam $2,418

Living in Taif is roughly 7% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taif 6% lower, Ad Dammam 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.39 SAR 20.22

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-20.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.10 SAR 139

$34.35 SAR 129

8.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 SAR 28.35

$6.62 SAR 24.84

14.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

$1.84 SAR 6.89

17.93%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$2.22 SAR 8.32

-38.74%

Cappuccino

$2.20 SAR 8.27

$3.02 SAR 11.33

-27.15%

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

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$0.77 SAR 2.87

-18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.81

$0.16 SAR 0.59

37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$1.72 SAR 6.47

5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 SAR 1.05

$1.29 SAR 4.84

-78.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

$1.88 SAR 7.07

23.94%

Eggs

$2.68 SAR 10.05

$2.12 SAR 7.96

26.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 SAR 21.83

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 SAR 26.01

$7.70 SAR 28.91

-10.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 SAR 35.52

$12.77 SAR 47.93

-25.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 SAR 9.19

$2.29 SAR 8.59

6.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.63 SAR 6.13

7.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

$1.64 SAR 6.16

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

$1.55 SAR 5.83

20.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

$1.08 SAR 4.04

24.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 SAR 5.41

$1.17 SAR 4.37

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 SAR 3.42

$1.25 SAR 4.71

-27.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 SAR 2.92

$0.56 SAR 2.12

39.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

$4.21 SAR 15.81

-28.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

$1.46 SAR 5.49

-2.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

$2.11 SAR 7.92

-2.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.98 SAR 26.20

$7.80 SAR 29.29

-10.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$0.88 SAR 3.30

21.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.71 SAR 142

$38.25 SAR 144

-1.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$2.28 SAR 8.57

-40.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 SAR 7.34

$1.35 SAR 5.08

45.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 SAR 35.80

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-31.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$0.61 SAR 2.28

4.92%

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

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

-7.88%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

0.98%

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

$141 SAR 530

$130 SAR 489

8.28%

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

$27.63 SAR 104

$32.31 SAR 121

-14.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 SAR 257

$64.2 SAR 241

6.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$143 SAR 538

$70.4 SAR 264

103.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 SAR 49.75

$28.59 SAR 107

-53.62%

Cinema Ticket

$19.64 SAR 73.7

$13.39 SAR 50.3

46.68%

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

$187 SAR 701

$414 SAR 1,554

-54.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

-68.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.65 SAR 156

$42.50 SAR 160

-2.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SAR 190

$48.93 SAR 184

3.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 SAR 354

$96.0 SAR 360

-1.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$92.0 SAR 345

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 SAR 2,136

$531 SAR 1,993

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 SAR 1,496

$376 SAR 1,410

6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 SAR 3,366

$947 SAR 3,553

-5.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,288

$665 SAR 2,495

-8.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 SAR 7,478

$1,479 SAR 5,552

34.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 SAR 4,459

$779 SAR 2,925

52.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 SAR 5,905

$1,508 SAR 5,659

4.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for Taif: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taif

$399 31.4%

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6% 5.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$237 18.7%

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1% 4.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$183 14.4%

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2% 46.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$181 14.2%

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7% 9.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$123 9.7%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6% 2.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Taif

$96 7.5%

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6% 18.9% $18

Getting Around

Taif

$53 4.2%

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3% 4.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $569 in Taif and $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taif pays 4% 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: $37 in Taif vs $34 in Ad Dammam. Groceries flip the comparison at $181 vs $198, with Taif cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

Same time as Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

903,312

💱 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

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Between locations

Taif Ad Dammam 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Taif
Ad Dammam

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

Taif vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Taif. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Taif, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $569 in Taif versus $531 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Taif pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,271 per month in Taif versus $1,188 in Ad Dammam – Ad Dammam is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Taif and Ad Dammam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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