Cost of Living · CH vs SA
🇨🇭 Zürich vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $3,208 in Switzerland vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 67.79% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -72.37%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -72.37%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -72.37%
Closest to Switzerland prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -30.75%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -30.75%
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -30.77%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Switzerland | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $2,413 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | -72.37% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,931 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | -72.37% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $4,413 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | -72.37% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $23.17 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | -63.62% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $96.54 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -63.6% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $13.84 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | -60.12% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.32 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | -52.27% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.84 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | -52.08% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $4.09 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | -52.08% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $12.02 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | -52.08% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.81 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | -52.18% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $5.77 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | -51.99% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $14.42 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | -52.08% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.40 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | -52.08% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $7.72 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | -63.6% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.77 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | -30.79% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $6.44 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | -63.66% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.76 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | -51.81% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $81.77 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | -60.1% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $3.46 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | -60.12% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $5.15 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | -63.69% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $2.32 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | -63.79% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $1.04 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | -30.77% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $252 | $100 (377 SAR) | -60.1% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $88.06 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -60.1% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $56.61 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | -60.1% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $64.36 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | -63.6% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $18.02 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | -63.6% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $38.62 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | -63.59% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $60.29 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | -30.75% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $98.65 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | -30.75% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $322 | $117 (439 SAR) | -63.6% |
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 Switzerland?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $3,208 in Switzerland — 67.79% 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 $7.72 in Switzerland.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to Switzerland?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $2,413/month in Switzerland (-72.37%). 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.