Cost of Living · NG vs SA
🇳🇬 Lagos vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $304 in Nigeria vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 239.58% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 50%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 50.62%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 50.72%
Closest to Nigeria prices
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +320.35%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +320.35%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +320.34%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Nigeria | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $159 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | +320.35% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $127 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | +320.35% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $290 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | +320.34% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.73 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | +208.79% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $11.37 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +209.06% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $1.98 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | +178.79% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.28 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | +125% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $0.81 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | +127.16% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $0.86 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | +127.91% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $2.54 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | +126.77% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.01 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | +127.72% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.22 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | +127.05% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $3.04 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | +127.3% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.51 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | +125.49% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $0.91 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | +208.79% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $4.03 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | +50.62% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $0.76 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | +207.89% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.58 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | +129.31% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $11.70 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | +178.89% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.50 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | +176% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $0.61 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | +206.56% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.27 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | +211.11% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.48 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | +50% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $36.00 | $100 (377 SAR) | +178.89% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $12.60 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | +178.89% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $8.10 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | +178.89% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $7.58 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | +209.1% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $2.12 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | +209.43% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $4.55 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | +209.01% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $27.70 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | +50.72% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $45.33 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | +50.72% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $37.91 | $117 (439 SAR) | +208.99% |
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 Nigeria?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $304 in Nigeria — 239.58% 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 $0.91 in Nigeria.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Nigeria?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $159/month in Nigeria (+320.35%). 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.