Cost of living in Saudi Arabia - 2017

Priscilla wrote:

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 

Not much have changed yet, average costs are between 25 - 30 for two bed room and btw 35 - 45 for 3 bed room in a moderate area.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?

Still limited public transportation, average price is still SAR.2 from point to point.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?

Flat bread is subsidized and costs SAR.1, Rice - 5-6 SAR / kg for the lowest , pasta the same (local brands)

>What is your monthly grocery budget?

Any where between 2000 - 2500 for a family of 5, 2 adults and 3 kids.

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 

Insurance covers most expats, min deductible ranges from 10 -20 SAR and you pay 10% of the medicines.

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

Depending on the school - can range any where from SAR.2000 - 6000 / month.

> How much does it cost to fill up your cars fuel tank?

Big SUV's or gass guzzlers will cost 75 - 80 SAR / filling on premium gas.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?

Average for Electricity ranges from 35 - 150 depending on seasons, gas - 20 SAR, water 1 ltr - 1 SAR

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?

Depends on speed & type of subscription - can range from SAR.20 - 200 per month for internet, and mobile costs btw 250 - 400

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

Avg costs SAR .25 - 50/- mid range and from depending on from where you are eating can go way more

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?

SAR. 15 - 20.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?

No cinemas   

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 

Several places with prices ranging from SAR. 200 a month to 500 a month.



Priscilla

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia?  10k - 50k, from Batha to the poshest areas but generally costs have gone down due to the current situation

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? - SR 25 on an average

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta? - remains the same

>What is your monthly grocery budget? - Around SR 2000

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ?  - As insurance is there max is SR 20-30

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget? - N/A

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank? - SR 34

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? - SR 100 each but there's a talk saying both will increase in the near future

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? - SR 200

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays? - SR 10

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? - SR 15

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? - N/A

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia?  - SR 500

You need add costs on dependents also from now onwards

1
Forum  Saudi Arabia  Cost of living
Cost of living in Saudi Arabia - 2017


Priscilla Yesterday 08:05:54
22908 posts
Hello,

Before moving to Saudi Arabia, it is important to investigate the cost of living

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 
...in dammam ranging from 8000-25000SAR for apartments
In compound it's around 50000 SAR and above

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
Minimum 10 SR maximum 40 SAR

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Bread 1SAR Rice ranging from 5SAR upto 10 SAR per kg
>What is your monthly grocery budget?
1500 to 2500 SAR

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 
In insurance minimum 3 SAR maximum 30SAR
Without insurance from 50 SAR Up to 400SAR

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
In Indian school ranging from 500SAR
Other international schools from 1000SAR upto 3000SAR

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
Vary from person to person

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
Minimum 50 electricity maximum 200
Water roughly 200


> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
Around 200SAR

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
50

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?15 - 20

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? Nooo😅😅

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 
varies from gym to gym
Minimum 500

Thank you everyone!

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 
starting 16000 annually and up depending on district  and location

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
starting 2 SAR up to 8 SAR within the same city.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Most of people here eat rice and either meat or chicken.  It's a traditional meal called KABSA. Four pieces or bread cost one SAR. 400 grams of pasts cost about 2.5 SAR. Rice is cheap hear because its price supported by the government.

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
For adult, about 1250. For children, about 750

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 
As long as you have a medical insurance,  doctor's fees and medicine are little but outside insurance,  it's very expensive

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
Starting from 1250 for single kid

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
For tank size of 50 ltr, it costs about 35 SAR for fuel 91 octins

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
gas cylinder refilled by 20 SAR. Monthly electricity bill costs about 40 SAR in winter and 200 SAR in summer.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
8GB ADSL costs 150 SAR monthly. Prepaid mobile national call costs 0.5 SAR per minute.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
Starting 20 SAR per person for fast food.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
5 SAR

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
No cinema here.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia?
Starting 500 SAR per month.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 
- 2 bedroom apartment: 33-35k SAR

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
- no public transport, taxi fare starts from 10 SAR

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
- bread price starts from 1 SAR;
- a grilled half chicken with cooked rice cost 15 SAR;
- grilled beef cubes with fries and bread cost 25 SAR;

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
- for a family with one kid I spend 400 SAR per week or 1600 SAR/month

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 
Depends on a clinic: from 25 to 270 SAR per visit

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
- montessori preschool 2400/month

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
- 35 SAR for 45 litres of 91

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
- electricity 30 SAR/month, water 500 SAR per year;

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
- internet 150 sar, phone 30 sar

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
Average bill for a lunch 20-25 SAR

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
- 10 SAR per cup

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
- no cinemas in the kingdom

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 
- 300 SAR/month

How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia?  average 16000 - 18000 Thousands SAR in Dammam

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? using company car or private car only .transportation is sucks here only taxi you can use if you don't have  a car.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta? all types of food , bread 5 loaves 1 SAR , kilo rice 2- 3 SAR , Pasta 2 - 3 Sar

>What is your monthly grocery budget? 500 SAR if bachelor

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ?  covered by insurance only < other wise it costs from 100 - 400 SAR

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget? 1000 SAR

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?  25 SAR

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? 50 - 70 SAR

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?  100 - 200 sar

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?  20 - 40 sar

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? 4- 8 SAR

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? No cinema here

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia?  200 - 300 SAR

I'm a bachelor who's been in Dammam for 5 year. Here are my inputs:

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 

Consider spending around 500-1000 SAR for are single rom per month. It's still way way cheaper than what your friends might be paying in UAE or Qatar.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?

Public transportation is next to nothing if you come from any other country. Cities predominantly only have taxis and uber which are expensive. If you are a daily commuter to work, then chip in for a shared cab which can cost around 100-200 a month. If your job requires you to travel on a daily basis within a 50-100 km radius, get a drivers license ASAP. There is nothing more liberating out here than getting to drive around on your own. If you have to travel across cities which are usually 300-600 kms apart, make use of the Bus service called Saptco. It's reliable and cheap.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?

Thanks to the phenomenal expat population out here, you will never miss out on home groceries. At times they are at the same price of that of in your home country. The speciality items may be costly but you can still get them. Thanks to KSA, I tried things like Pecan Pie, Ben and Jerry's and Sriracha Sauce for the first time cos it's got markets like tamimi which import everything western right from packaged goods to fresh consumables like vegetables, meat and even baked goods. (The Pecan Pie I had was from Tamimi Supermarket where they have it imported from USA)


>What is your monthly grocery budget?
I'm a bachelor so don't really cook unless I get bored. However, it's always cheap to cook.

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ?

Here's the thing. Health care is way costly it you come from let's say India.  But the great news is that the companies by law are required ro provide you free healthcare. This means you only end up paying like 20% of out patient visits. In patients are usually free. If I get a cough, I got get myself checked and come back with medicines for a total of 15 riyals. That's with my 80% health insurance discount. You do the math.

Note: Be very selective about doctors though in case you have a serious ailment. Always seek advice from friends or colleagues.

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

I'm an Indian and as far as I know, monthly schooling can go from 200-500 per month. These schools are on Indian syllabus and there would need no problem for the kid to transfer to a school back home. My general observation is that the quality is not that great compared to schools in India. If you are planning for extensive medical or engineering coaching for your kids, it's advised to move them back home by High school.

Schools for every majority expat nationality is available.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?


That's a question that brings a smile! KSA is still a great place where a liter of petrol is cheaper than a liter of bottled water. 0.65 SAR to be exact. Companies will usually reimburse your gas expenses if u travel. It's a paradise if you enjoy driving.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?

I share my 2 bedroom apartment with a friend and together we spend around 200 SAR every month. Taps provide desalinated water so you need to buy drinking water.

A new LPG cylinder is 200 SAR and 15 SAR for a refill.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?

KSA is the biggest user of YouTube in the world. When my friends in UAE pay an arm and a leg for connectivity,  I still enjoy cheaper rates here though prices have gone up. Now you can get a 3 month, 10 GB 4G subscription for 110 SAR. A fiber optic 20 mbps connection to you pad with unlimited data will cost u around 150 a month.

Trust me it's reasonably fast and affordable. I have been listening to all my music off YouTube and always use online radio for my car.

For work calls, go for a company provided connection. Even if they don't provide one, it's still cheap. I recommend you to invest in a reliable high speed Internet connection back home when you leave for KSA. Encourage them to use Internet video calling to reach you and keep mobile calls for emergencies and quick conversations.i

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

Pretty much every major fast food joint is available in KSA. Rates are pretty much global. However I stick to traditional and go to the small eateries where mostly cabbies eat (that's where the good stuff is). Nonetheless, you wouldn't have to spend more than 25 for a decent lunch.

There will be many smart alecs who will advise you to save up on food. For the Love of God, Don't. If you have the cash, eat what you like and try new things. Last thing you need is being away from family and not being happy.


> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
8 SAR. While you are here also try the Turkish.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
Lol
There are no cinemas here. However if you live in the Eastern Province, Bahrain is nearby. I watched Star Wars Episode 7 in Imax. 60 SAR plus driving down there.


> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 
About 100-200 a month.

Welcome to Arabia!
-Abhi

SAR 2,000 to SAR 2,500 is estimated including all basic.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 
im renting a room, 3500 for 6mos, king fahd area

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
free.. i ride my bike everywhere

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
300-500 (im alone)..  i cook all the time, rarely eat out

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 
health card c/o employer

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
less than 20/mo winter time, 100/mo summer time

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
zero.  im online during office hours in office.. no net at home

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
zero.  i pack my own lunch

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
zero.. free coffee in office

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 
zero.. i ride my bike daily on weekdays..  and desert biking on weekends

i am actually living very cheap in riyadh    and not missing out on anything.

Complete home work is a must before moving to KSA.

Hello,

I am very glade to have this opportunity sharing my experience of cost of living in Saudi Arabia and specially i was born in Saudi Arabia and live all my life here in Jeddah.

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 
This is depends city but average rent fair in Jeddah city starts from 25,000 SR up to 50,000+ SR annual rent price, 25K for average 2 bedrooms and still someone can find lower prices. Ut depends on area to live.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? We have in Saudi very limited public transportation and most of people use their cars for daily base travel in city as cars prices is not high and petrol prices is still lower than most of GCC's countiess or Europe but local bus fair per trip is 2 SR only and they have the local buses and have also private busese which i dont recommend anyone to try the private busese which called (Haflah).

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Food mainly cheap if you chose local food and average prices for big chain resturant as local food like rice and one whole grolled checken is 18SR for almost 2 person. And good thing here in KSA is you can having your breakfast from local reautrant with not more than 5 SR and up to.


>What is your monthly grocery budget? This is depends member of families and where to buy and what promotion you follow the big chain Supermarkets as we have main big supermarket like Panda, Danube, Bin Dawod and Alothaim .. those supermarket run monthlu promotions . Average for me and wife and 3 kids around 1500 to 2500 SR monthly .

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? With insurance very cheap when pay the dedactuable fees which is 3 to 30SR maximum , and without insurance start the docotor fees from 50 to 500 SR based on if you are visiting doctor in Hospital or polyclinic.   

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget? Depends if local school system or International school system , local school average for KG is between 5,000 to 9,000 SR and KG in international system starts from 9,000 up to 22,000 SR like American International school or British International school in Jeddah and all those fees for whole academic year.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank? Very cheap around 20 to 40 SR per full tank as per petrol liter is 0.60 Hallah to 0.90 hallalah which is about the highest liter of petrol is 0.24$ cent.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? Average electric bill for my house of 3 bedrooms is 170SR per month.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? This is vary of what mobile company you go for and what bundle you wish to go for and me example i am paying 349 SR monthly for unlimited calls to all Zain company numbers, 2000 free minutes to other mobile providers, 35GB internet uasge, 30 minutes international calls and 2 GB of internet roaming worldwide ... this bundle is monthly benefits.

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?  I dont have idea about it but think about 10 to 20 SR.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? Average 5 to 10 SR based on local or international chain brand.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
No cinema here in KSa.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia?  Average 200 SR monthly.

Thank you everyone!

Priscilla

dear OVERSMART Priscilla
cost of living has increase way too high to live, for sure. surviving here with family kids, with less than 10,000 Riyals is not possible, period. and most non-Arabic speaking + non-western (creatures live and survive in expensive compounds on behalf of their passports) EXPATS, hardly have that much salary. now most people might not like to share their income and expenses in that much details which you are trying to collect and then sell this data further to MNC's . ask general questions get general answers.
let the discussion go on, and no offense to anyone, meant.

APOLOGOD wrote:

dear OVERSMART Priscilla
cost of living has increase way too high to live, for sure. surviving here with family kids, with less than 10,000 Riyals is not possible, period. and most non-Arabic speaking + non-western (creatures live and survive in expensive compounds on behalf of their passports) EXPATS, hardly have that much salary. now most people might not like to share their income and expenses in that much details which you are trying to collect and then sell this data further to MNC's . ask general questions get general answers.
let the discussion go on, and no offense to anyone, meant.

I would love to see an MNC that collects this data     and priscilla pls share the profits with me.

The idea is to help potential expats in knowing various lifestyles and expenses  in KSA. Very smart reply indeed.

APOLOGOD wrote:

now most people might not like to share their income and expenses in that much details which you are trying to collect and then sell this data further to MNC's .

Expat.com can't sell such data -- because it's already available to everyone free of cost. Just have a look at numbeo.com, and there are dozens similar. Millions of people, from every nick and corner of the world, have provided such input on their websites.

The only reason this initiative is taken up by expat.com is to provide help to all potential expats by letting them have this info under one roof.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Saudi Arabia? 

The housing rental rate has been fluctuating for the last five years, Currently you can rent an apartment from 9,000 to about 120,000 outside compounds.  Inside compounds you'll find that prices start around 40,000 and continue up until you reach the most expensive at around 425,000.  In regards to size, I've quoted from a single bedroom apartment up to a 4 bedroom Compound Villa in the best compounds.  Everything is relative to what you can afford, where you want to live and IF your employer gives you an allowance.

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?

Depending on where you live in the Kingdom, you'll be paying from 2 to 25 for public transport and then you have UBER.  Taxis are a barter system and that is why I use UBER.  A set price, no negotiation and a clean safe drive.

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?

As Pricilla said, Arabic Flat Bread costs around 1 to 2 riyals a bag and is fresh daily from the local grocery store/corner shop.  It is also available in supermarkets all over the country.  If you want sliced bread, then the prices range from 3 to 7 riyals depending on what style of bread you buy.  For example, normal sliced white bread is hovering around 3 to 4 riyals for a good one, whereas brown granary bread can be anything up to 7 per loaf - shop around.  Carefore has an excellent bakery where you can buy specialist bread baked daily.

>What is your monthly grocery budget?

Now this question has many answers.  For an Indian based family it might be way cheaper than an American based family depending on where they shop and what they buy and how frequently they eat out.  This would be a little silly to try and answer due to the demographics concerned.  Budget is in the eye of the beholder!

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Saudi Arabia ? 

"Insurance covers most expats, min deductible ranges from 10 -20 SAR and you pay 10% of the medicines." -
I have to disagree here because it depends on the medical level that your employer has purchased for his employees.  If you are a government worker, then there isn't any medical insurance - you have to use the government hospitals or pay private!  So, be aware of this point.  There is a big difference between Class C and Class A+

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?

"Depending on the school - can range any where from SAR.2000 - 6000 / month." -
This is also not exactly correct.  School fees are as high as 85,000 a year for some Western Named Schools and as low as 12,000 for others.  There is also the point of getting a place in certain areas.  It is a first come first in basis for a lot of popular schools.  So, be prepared to shop around.  Educational fees are limited in the private sector and it is very common for people to have to top-up the fees from their salaries or savings.  Government Universities also put a cap on how much they will pay to the employee for their children's education and limit it to two children under 18.  Some only give a lump sum and nothing else.

> How much does it cost to fill up your cars fuel tank?

"Big SUV's or gass guzzlers will cost 75 - 80 SAR / filling on premium gas." -
This is correct if you drive a GMC Suburban, but with smaller cars you'll expect to pay around 25 - 35 Riyals.  Also, remember that there is now discussion about introducing a 5% tax soon and we are not sure if this will apply to fuel as well.....keep checking!

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?

"Average for Electricity ranges from 35 - 150 depending on seasons, gas - 20 SAR, water 1 ltr - 1 SAR" - This will and already has started to change.  Fuel costs will increase slowly over the next three years and we should see bills increase by around 5 to 7%.  Gas is by the cylinder and as such has a set price.  I don't really know of any houses or apartments outside of compounds or private apartment blocks that actually have gas piped into their residences.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?

"Depends on speed & type of subscription - can range from SAR.20 - 200 per month for internet, and mobile costs btw 250 - 400" -
If you are alone, it is cheap.  If you want to stream then check to see if your area has Fibre.  If it does, then this is the best option if you can afford it, can be anything up to 2,500 for the year.  Currently Mobily has the fastest, but others are on the way

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?

Avg costs SAR .25 - 50/- mid range and from depending on from where you are eating can go way more

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?

"SAR. 15 - 20." -
This is a Cappuccino price.  Espresso is usually around 8 to 12 Riyals depending on size.  Again, it is all down to your preference.  Caribou has the best Western coffee and Café Liwan has the best Arabic coffee - my preference!  BUT, you can go to the local buffia and pay 1 Riyal for a tea or a coffee (Nescafe)

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?

No cinemas  - Bahrain is the nearest and you'll pay around 30 Riyals for a ticket.  There are discussions going on about this subject, but don't hold your breath!   

> How much does a gym membership cost in Saudi Arabia? 

Several places with prices ranging from SAR. 200 a month to 500 a month. - This has been an expanding area and now with Female Gym Licenses available, it will grow even bigger over the next three years.  Fitness time have many and are currently building Female ones as I type and have some already open and operating in Dammam.

Hope the updates help you al!!

the cost of living saudi has increased around 20%comparing to 2015.
now it is the starting of 2017 and expect an increase of minimum 10%
expect to increase the cost of fuel,house rent, levy on iqama, etc..

Hello Priscilla, Can I get info on cost of living in Saudi?  I am in the USA, worked before in Qatar and UAE, and now considering going to KSA.   Please advise.  Regards, Danilo

Hi Danilom001,

Priscilla forms part of the Expat.Com Team and this topic has been launched to gather as much info as possible.

Read the different posts on this thread, you will get all the information needed from members' inputs.
If you want to ask about a particular expenditure, feel free to provide some details, so that members may guide you.

All the best,
Bhavna

Thank for the info bro.
Hope to see you soon, inshaallah.

Just to add to what my friend mentioned, cost of fuel, and other goods in market will increase due to an additional VAT which is going to be introduced. Mostly the VAT impact shall be 5% and you may consider another 5% as general inflation. Further there shall be increased taxes on keeping dependents and on your own iqama also.

However the house rent is expected to decrease. Due to higher cost of living a lot of expats are leaving the country and some are sending their families back. This is leading to a lot of vacant housing in the country and there is a general expectation of house rent going down in the next couple of years.