Cost of Living · IN vs SA
🇮🇳 Bengaluru vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $423 in India vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 144.57% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 33.33%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 34.59%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 34.81%
Closest to India prices
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +184.31%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +184.3%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +184.29%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | India | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $235 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +184.29% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $188 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +184.31% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $429 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +184.3% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $3.71 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +127.22% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $15.46 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +127.3% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $2.62 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +110.69% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.35 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +80% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.01 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +82.18% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.08 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +81.48% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $3.17 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +81.7% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.27 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +81.1% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.52 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +82.24% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $3.81 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +81.36% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.63 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +82.54% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.24 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +126.61% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $4.51 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +34.59% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.03 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +127.18% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.73 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +82.19% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $15.47 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +110.92% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.65 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +112.31% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $0.82 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +128.05% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.37 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +127.03% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.54 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | +33.33% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $47.60 | $100 (377 SAR) | +110.92% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $16.66 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +110.92% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $10.71 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +110.92% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $10.31 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +127.26% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $2.89 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +126.99% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $6.19 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +127.14% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $30.97 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +34.81% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $50.68 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +34.81% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $51.54 | $117 (439 SAR) | +127.28% |
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 India?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $423 in India — 144.57% 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 $1.24 in India.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to India?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $235/month in India (+184.29%). 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.