Cost of Living · EG vs SA
🇪🇬 Cairo vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $252 in Egypt vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 310.57% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 60%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 60.58%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 60.82%
Closest to Egypt prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +427.73%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +427.73%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +427.72%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Egypt | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $126 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +427.73% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $101 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +427.72% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $231 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +427.73% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.28 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +269.74% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $9.51 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +269.51% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $1.68 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +228.57% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.24 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +162.5% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $0.71 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +159.15% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $0.76 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +157.89% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $2.23 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +158.3% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $0.89 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +158.43% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.07 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +158.88% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $2.67 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +158.8% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.45 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +155.56% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $0.76 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +269.74% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $3.78 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +60.58% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $0.63 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +271.43% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.51 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +160.78% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $9.95 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +227.94% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.42 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +228.57% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $0.51 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +266.67% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.23 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +265.22% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.45 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | +60% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $30.60 | $100 (377 SAR) | +228.1% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $10.71 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +228.1% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $6.89 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +227.87% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $6.34 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +269.56% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $1.78 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +268.54% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $3.80 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +270% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $25.96 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +60.82% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $42.47 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +60.87% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $31.70 | $117 (439 SAR) | +269.53% |
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 Egypt?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $252 in Egypt — 310.57% 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 $0.76 in Egypt.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Egypt?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $126/month in Egypt (+427.73%). 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.