Cost of Living · BR vs SA
🇧🇷 São Paulo vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $949 in Brazil vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 8.86% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 2.85%
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 2.86%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 2.86%
Closest to Brazil prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +10.32%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +10.32%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +10.32%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Brazil | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $604 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +10.32% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $484 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +10.32% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,105 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +10.32% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.81 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +7.94% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $32.53 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +8.02% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.15 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +7.18% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.60 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +5% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.74 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +5.75% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.85 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +5.95% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.45 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +5.69% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.18 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +5.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.61 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +6.13% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.54 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +5.66% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.09 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +5.5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.60 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +8.08% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.90 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +2.88% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.17 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +7.83% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.25 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +6.4% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $30.42 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +7.26% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.29 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +6.98% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.74 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +7.47% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.78 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +7.69% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.70 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | +2.86% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $93.60 | $100 (377 SAR) | +7.26% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $32.76 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +7.26% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $21.06 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +7.26% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $21.69 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +8.02% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.07 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +8.07% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.01 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +8.07% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $40.59 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +2.86% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $66.43 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +2.85% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $108 | $117 (439 SAR) | +8.01% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Saudi Arabia than Brazil?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $949 in Brazil — 8.86% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Saudi Arabia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.81 in Saudi Arabia (≈ 10.54 SAR), versus about $2.60 in Brazil.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Brazil?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $604/month in Brazil (+10.32%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.