Cost of Living · NO vs SA
🇳🇴 Oslo vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,080 in Norway vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 50.32% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -55%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -55%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -55%
Closest to Norway prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -20.39%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -20.4%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -20.45%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Norway | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,482 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | -55% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,186 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | -55% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,710 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | -55% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $15.80 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | -46.65% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $65.81 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -46.6% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $9.77 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | -43.5% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.00 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | -37% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.91 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | -36.77% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.09 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | -36.57% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $9.09 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | -36.63% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.64 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | -36.81% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.36 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | -36.47% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.91 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | -36.66% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.82 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | -36.81% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.27 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | -46.68% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.63 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | -20.45% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $4.39 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | -46.7% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.09 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | -36.36% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $57.72 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | -43.47% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.44 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | -43.44% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.51 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | -46.72% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.58 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | -46.84% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.91 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | -20.88% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $178 | $100 (377 SAR) | -43.47% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $62.16 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -43.47% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $39.96 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | -43.47% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $43.88 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | -46.6% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $12.29 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | -46.62% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $26.33 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | -46.6% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $52.45 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | -20.4% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $85.82 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | -20.39% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $219 | $117 (439 SAR) | -46.6% |
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 Norway?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $2,080 in Norway — 50.32% 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 $5.27 in Norway.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Norway?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $1,482/month in Norway (-55%). 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.