Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia

Name: Saudi Arabia
Address: SA

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,284 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saudi Arabia
Learn more

Saudi Arabia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Saudi Arabia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,284 in Saudi Arabia.

United Kingdom $2,462
Saudi Arabia $1,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,916 in Saudi Arabia.

United Kingdom $3,600
Saudi Arabia $1,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,549 in Saudi Arabia.

United Kingdom $4,738
Saudi Arabia $2,549

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $674–$1,738 in Saudi Arabia. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 92% more expensive than in Saudi Arabia on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Saudi Arabia (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.12

$6.74 SAR 25.28

218.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.3

$40.36 SAR 151

112.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$8.14 SAR 30.53

30.34%

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

$4.91 £3.68

$3.78 SAR 14.19

29.89%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.75 SAR 2.83

254.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.27 SAR 1.02

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.13

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.70 SAR 6.39

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.11 SAR 4.17

54.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.21 SAR 8.30

-1.81%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$2.67 SAR 10.01

49.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.07

$7.68 SAR 28.79

22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.89

$7.86 SAR 29.48

16.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$13.44 SAR 50.4

9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.16 SAR 8.10

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-9.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$1.73 SAR 6.48

64.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.69 SAR 6.34

108.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.31 SAR 4.91

39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.33 SAR 4.99

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-1.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.62 SAR 2.32

167.74%

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)

$23.65 £17.75

$7.32 SAR 27.44

223.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.10 SAR 4.12

261.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.6

$38.07 SAR 143

182.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.74 SAR 10.26

89.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.70 SAR 10.12

-12.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.14

$13.49 SAR 50.6

98.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$0.60 SAR 2.26

231.67%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$30.4K SAR 114.2K

29.58%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

88.62%

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

$327 £245

$97.9 SAR 367

234.33%

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

$18.21 £13.66

$31.85 SAR 119

-42.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.72

$67.1 SAR 252

-35.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.78

$79.8 SAR 300

-46.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.67

$39.07 SAR 147

-53.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$13.92 SAR 52.2

-0.50%

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

$1,868 £1,402

$458 SAR 1,718

307.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$8,896 SAR 33.4K

154.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.7

$48.43 SAR 182

91.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.45

$56.7 SAR 213

-19.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$89.5 SAR 336

13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.7

$86.3 SAR 324

18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,007

$641 SAR 2,404

109.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £805

$460 SAR 1,726

133.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,674

$1,008 SAR 3,781

121.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,307

$699 SAR 2,623

149.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,203

$2,013 SAR 7,551

178.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,200

$1,252 SAR 4,696

240.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,513

$1,864 SAR 6,992

79.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.4

-1.48%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Saudi Arabia

$460 35.8% 57.1% $613

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Saudi Arabia

$197 15.3% 49.4% $192

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Saudi Arabia

$128 10% 61% $200

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Saudi Arabia

$206 16.1% 32.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Saudi Arabia

$126 9.9% 18% $28

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Saudi Arabia

$59 4.6% 58.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Saudi Arabia

$108 8.4% 53.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $556 in Saudi Arabia. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $1,149 in Riyadh.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $1,949 in Saudi Arabia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 131% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 108% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 166% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 67% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Saudi Arabia.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

3 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

33,000,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Saudi Arabia 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Saudi Arabia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,284 per month in Saudi Arabia and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

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.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom 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.