Cost of living in different cities of Saudi Arabia might slightly vary but in general; remains close to each other with major factors remaining same. In this post; the cost of living estimation is based on Jeddah city but can be considered matching for other cities in Saudi Arabia as well.
Note: Cost mentioned is generic and based on the current time and may vary in future.
Cost of Housing in Saudi Arabia
If you plan to live in Saudi Arabia with family, housing will be the major cost that you will be bearing. Generally, you are provided an accommodation by your employer or else; housing allowance is paid in every month salary on a decided percentage.
The cost of housing in Saudi Arabia will vary depending on your choice of accommodation. If you opt for some high end compound; it will cost much because of its living standards. If you choose to live in apartments; they will normally be cheaper and you can get a 2 bed room, one hall apartment as low as SAR 15000 a year. On the higher end; it may go even 50000 plus depending on the number of rooms, house condition and any furnishings available.
Furnished accommodations are not cheaper in Saudi Arabia, so it is recommended for expatriates to rent unfurnished apartments and then buy the furnishing of their own choice according to own budget limitations. Through expatriates sites and second hand markets; you can buy used furniture at reasonably good price.
For bachelors living in Saudi Arabia without family, a room in shared apartment costs around 1000 SAR a month.
Grocery Costs in Saudi Arabia
For a couple without any children; average cost of grocery items remains below 200 SAR per week if you are smart enough in having a close eye on the promotions by the chains like Danube, Hyper Panda, Bin Daud etc.
Chicken, Vegetables, fruits etc. are not much costly. However, if you prefer red meat (mutton, beef); that will be a bit costlier. Currently, mutton is sold at the price of around 35 to 40 SAR per kg in Jeddah.
Schooling Cost in Saudi Arabia
For expatriates who opt for international schools for education of their children in Saudi Arabia, education cost remains a key concern as a quality education in any well-known school won’t be cheaper.
The fee structure of different schools differs according to their own standards but in general; you should expect a fees of around 12000 to 15000 SAR per anum for a Pre-KG to KG2 student and a fees somewhere around around 25,000 SAR per anum for grade 12 student.
Internet, Phone Costs in Saudi Arabia
The call charges within Saudi Arabia are normally below 30 halala per minute (may vary depending on package of your choice). For a person with a normal usage of voice services; it will cost roughly around 50 SAR per month for telephone calls. However, if you also opt for international calls from your mobile; the cost of your phone might go above 100 SAR.
Internet cost depends purely on your usage and your choice of the data bundles. If you choose a fiber line with unlimited monthly data allowance; it will cost you around 200 to 250 SAR per month.
However, if you are not a high end user of internet; mobile 4G data services will be sufficient for you. Normally a 2GB per month 4G package in Saudi Arabia will cost you around 50 Riyal. However, there are various packages which provide some discount if you subscribe for quarterly or yearly basis.
Dine Out costs in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a great place for food loving people as you can find a great variety of food items here including Arabic cosines, Western foods, Asian foods, dozens of fast food outlets and even typical street food. Depending on your taste buds; you can enjoy any such food and the cost greatly varies from just a couple of Riyals to a 100+ riyals.
Typically; your lunch or dinner will not cost you more than 30 riyals if you eat in an economy class restaurant. If you eat in some fast food outlet like Albaik, Kudu, Tazaj, KFC, McDonals; you can even find deals at the price below 10 riyals.
Transport costs in Saudi Arabia
Most cities of Saudi Arabia including Jeddah don’t enjoy any special within city transportation services like Metro etc.; so don’t expect such a convenience as of now. Because of cheaper fuel and also comparatively lower prices of cars; people mostly drive their private vehicles here to commute within city or towards nearby places.
As of now; petrol is just 0.7 Riyals per litre so if you own a car and travel mainly within city; your petrol cost will be roughly around 100 Riyals per month (may vary depending on your car fuel consumption).
For those who don’t have their own car; options of using a public Taxi or ride-hailing services like Uber and Careem are available. Mostly Taxis here are not on meter and you have to bargain yourself with the driver for the rightly justified fare (as they might demand a bit higher sometimes).
Uber and Careem have well standardized setups and they have smartly defined pricing algorithms and you will be charged fairly based on the total distance and time travelled.
Other Costs in Saudi Arabia
Other than all the above costs discussed; you might bear some additional costs which might not be falling in any such general category. E.g. going with your family in a park; you will be bearing some ticketing costs; going through any medical treatment which is not covered by the insurance; you might need to pay from your own pocket; buying clothes, shoes etc for yourself and your family and the list goes on and on….
Summary of cost of living in Saudi Arabia
Cutting the long story short; below is an estimated tabular summary of the potential costs of living in Saudi Arabia.
Monthly Cost of living for an expatriate couple (with no kids) living in Saudi Arabia:
| House Rent Cost | Grocery Cost | Transportation Cost | Dine Out Cost | Internet/Phone Cost | miscellaneous Cost | Total Monthly Cost |
| 1800 | 200 | 150 | 150 | 200 | 200 | 2700 |
Monthly cost of living for an expatriate couple with one kid studying in international school:
| House Rent Cost | Grocery Cost | Transportation Cost | Dine Out Cost | Internet/Phone Cost | Schooling Cost | miscellaneous Cost | Total Monthly Cost |
| 1800 | 300 | 400 | 200 | 200 | 1000 | 300 | 4200 |
Note: All above cost figures are just estimates and may vary depending on circumstances, life-style and personal choices.