Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia

RESTAURANTS

Fast food is a huge business in Saudi Arabia, so you can expect all the usual chain restaurants like Mcdonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, and a few chains that you’ll rarely see outside of America like Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. or Little Caesars.

Even cheaper than that are the curry shops run by Saudi Arabia’s large Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi communities, where you can eat for low as 1.30$.

The food here is low in cost and high in quality.

MARKETS

If you cook by yourself you’ll save up a whole lot of money.

Here you can find huge chains of supermarkets where you’ll find whatever you need.

What’s interesting for foreigners are the locally grown high-quality dates that can be a bit expensive.

Everything else is pretty cheap.

There are well-maintained air-conditioned malls and grocery stores scattered throughout the country.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation cost depends on whether you own a car or not.

If you do – then you need to spend only on oil and it’s very cheap in Saudi Arabia.

As for public transport – within cities, taxis are the only practical means of transportation, and they’re mostly cheap while in some cities you’ll often have to haggle the price in advance.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are rather cheap in Saudi Arabia, like most things – in fact, they’re cheaper than in most countries around the world.

The utilities there amount up to only around 104.01$ for a month for basic ones like electricity, water, cooling, heating and garbage services in an apartment of 85m2.

Internet however, is pretty expensive compared to this and especially compared to many other countries.

SPORTS & LEISURE

Entertainment in Saudi Arabia is limited at best, and when present is often family-oriented.

This applies to cinemas and theaters too, while gyms and fitness clubs are segregated by gender.

On top of this, the cost of staying active in Saudi Arabia is through the roof!

A month of going to the gym or being a member of a fitness club will cost you a whopping 93.97$ – that’s more than in most countries around the world.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Clothes of famous brands usually have the same prices as in Europe which is generally higher than in the US.

For example, Levi’s jeans cost about 50$.

You can buy simpler pieces of clothing like shirts or summer dresses in mass chain stores for prices of around 60$ too.

Quality sneakers are more expensive, standing at around 97$.

RENT PER MONTH

Rent isn’t too high in Saudi Arabia.

Though your accommodation rent will be lower if you share an apartment – which would cost you around 180$ a month, a one-bedroom apartment shouldn’t cost too much either.

Depending on your particular city and location, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center would amount to up to 458.5$, while one a bit further would cost around 335.73$.