Cost of Living · NL vs SA
🇳🇱 Amsterdam vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,837 in Netherlands vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 43.74% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -48.19%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -48.19%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -48.19%
Closest to Netherlands prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -17.13%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -17.13%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -17.19%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Netherlands | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,287 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | -48.19% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,030 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | -48.19% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,354 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | -48.19% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.14 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | -40.38% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $58.92 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -40.36% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.83 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | -37.49% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.92 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | -31.52% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.68 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | -31.34% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.85 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | -31.23% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.39 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | -31.35% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.36 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | -31.55% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.03 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | -31.27% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.07 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | -31.38% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.68 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | -31.55% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.71 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | -40.34% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.33 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | -17.19% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.93 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | -40.46% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.93 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | -31.09% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.20 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | -37.49% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.21 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | -37.56% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.14 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | -40.45% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.41 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | -40.43% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | -17.24% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $161 | $100 (377 SAR) | -37.48% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.21 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -37.48% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.14 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | -37.49% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.28 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | -40.35% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.00 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | -40.36% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.57 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | -40.35% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.38 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | -17.13% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.44 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | -17.13% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $196 | $117 (439 SAR) | -40.35% |
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 Netherlands?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $1,837 in Netherlands — 43.74% 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 $4.71 in Netherlands.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Netherlands?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $1,287/month in Netherlands (-48.19%). 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.