Cost of Living · JP vs SA
🇯🇵 Tokyo vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,435 in Japan vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 28% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -31.39%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -31.39%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -31.39%
Closest to Japan prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -10%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -10.2%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -10.2%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Japan | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $972 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | -31.39% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $778 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | -31.39% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,777 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | -31.39% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.34 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | -25.66% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $47.25 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -25.63% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.23 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | -23.65% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.79 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | -20.25% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.29 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | -19.65% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.43 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | -19.34% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.15 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | -19.44% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.86 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | -19.58% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.43 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | -19.24% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.57 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | -19.37% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.43 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | -19.58% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.78 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | -25.66% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.76 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | -10.21% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.15 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | -25.71% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.64 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | -18.9% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $42.71 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | -23.6% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.81 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | -23.76% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.52 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | -25.79% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.13 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | -25.66% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.80 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | -10% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $131 | $100 (377 SAR) | -23.59% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $45.99 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -23.59% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $29.57 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | -23.61% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $31.50 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | -25.62% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.82 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | -25.62% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.90 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | -25.61% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.49 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | -10.2% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $76.08 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | -10.2% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $157 | $117 (439 SAR) | -25.62% |
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 cheaper is Saudi Arabia than Japan?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,435 in Japan — 28% less. 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 $3.78 in Japan.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Japan?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $972/month in Japan (-31.39%). 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.