Cost of living in Saudi Arabia

Hi, I'm from Alkhobar (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia). 

First things first:  Are you a Western National?  Normally, whichever company contracted you (to work in Saudi) must arrange for your accommodation and transport (as well as your insurances, education of your kids, etc).  There are Western villas available in the city which are decent.  However, if you're holding a bachelor visa, then expenses for your family are not covered.

There are no public cinema houses here.
Alcohols are totally banned.
A liter of bottled water is costlier than a liter of gas.
There are Western restaurants here (steakmeal costs something like $20 per person).

Saudi was not saved from recent world recession hence prices of groceries have gone up an average of 20-25% or even more.

You can always google your questions

Hi,
I’m Anita, I reside in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The cost of living in Saudi Arabia is pretty cheap when compared to the rest of the gulf countries.
Accommodation: about SR25000/year - for a decent 3 bedroom flat in a good residential area.
Medical Insurance: SR3000/- per year.
Oil: SR20/- Full tank (oil is pretty cheap here, In Dubai it was about AED60/- full tank)
Internet: SR100/month
Water electricity: SR450 (for 4 months, depends on usage)
Cinema: Alas!!! no theaters in Saudi Arabia

-    Anita

i am looking for a house which is 3 rooms located in Hara around 17000SR Per year.
thanks

Hi,

How is the cost of Living in Jizan ,saudi Arabia

I am living in Khobar since two years. The area I live in is called Rakah which is strategically placed between main Dammam and Khobar areas. My flat is on the first flr, with 2 beds, 2 baths, lounge, kitchen and a large drawing room. Yearly rent is SR 18000.
Med Insurance is SR 1000 (A Class)per annum of which 800 company pays.
eating out (small restaurant/ boofiyas) 5-25 per person
eating out (normal restaurant) 25-50 per person
eating out (really good restaurant) 100-can go up pretty high -per person
electricity bill... 40-50 per month (with 2 ACs on all the time!.
Gas container (for cooking) 15 SR. I do a lot of baking and have high usage, even then it takes about 2.5 months for one cylinder to end.
Petrol SR 18 for full tank of 40 litres!!! 0.45 halalas per litre....and this price hasnt changed in ...... ever!
Cable tv. If using normal tv...on which only saudi channels and MBA comes, only the price of the receiver.
I am using Pehla Silver package. thats 180 per month and has all Nat Geo and Discovery, cartoon network, Star Channels and many many things. and the receiver costs another SR300.
Orbit Cable I think is more expensive.
Calling.... inter city is SR 3 for one hour. Calling international can however literally burn holes in your pocket. So internet is cheaper.
Internet ....I have used the 3.5G from mobily for over a year. The device costs 500 and another 300 for unlimited use per month. However if you have a phone line, use DSL. Its rates have dropped drastically. The line charges are 180 and the DSL for 512K is Sr 40 and dropping. I am a crazy downloader and need speed. This has not disappointed me.
cell phone carriers are Mobily, jawal and Zain. I find all are on average expensive here, but nonetheless a necessity. check out the deals and stuff when buying, you might get a bargain or free credit as well.
Any other questions... pls ask

i totally agree with zmurtaza and the details he has given r quite right..
however i would like to add that saudi recently opened its cinema for movies too
the cost of drinking water is more than water but that is a plus point since water too is not that xpensive
u can live a whole season during the summer or winters using reverseable a.c's without caring for the electricity cost since its available 24/7 n is damn cheap
recession mayhave afected saudi as well but on a minor scale since life is still highly affordable..n thn u geta tax free salary n health insurance (in most cases)easily afford a car(normal or luxury n v easy n low installments)there r no tubes etc local buses on local routes are a poor option but inter city buses are very good n v v cheap...females must trafvel intheir own car but taxi's r another option ifu dont have a car and the fare is damn cheap SR10-20 and the distances are much here...
u can shop in branded shops or ordinalry/local brands n still get value for money
in short.. life here is gr8 from all respects n caters for people from all walks of life
if u r considering moving here i assure u wont be disappointed at all

I am from India.
Presently I got an offer of SR.5000 for working in Al-Khobar.
I want to know whether it is sufficient salary to live a comfortable life with family in Khobar ?

It will be really appreciated if you can provide information regarding " Cost of Living " .

Thanking you,

isladenebz wrote:

Hi, I'm from Alkhobar (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia). 

First things first:  Are you a Western National?  Normally, whichever company contracted you (to work in Saudi) must arrange for your accommodation and transport (as well as your insurances, education of your kids, etc).  There are Western villas available in the city which are decent.  However, if you're holding a bachelor visa, then expenses for your family are not covered.

There are no public cinema houses here.
Alcohols are totally banned.
A liter of bottled water is costlier than a liter of gas.
There are Western restaurants here (steakmeal costs something like $20 per person).

Saudi was not saved from recent world recession hence prices of groceries have gone up an average of 20-25% or even more.

You can always google your questions

Hi Nadir,

Welcome to Expat.com.  If you click the link below, I think you'll find the threads to be interesting reading.

https://www.expat.com/forum/423-22-cost … rabia.html

Best of luck!