Cost of Living · US vs SA
🇺🇸 New York vs 🇸🇦 Riyadh: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,410 in United States vs $1,033 in Saudi Arabia — 57.12% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Saudi Arabia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -61.89%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -61.89%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -61.89%
Closest to United States prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -24.09%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -24.09%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -24.12%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | United States | Saudi Arabia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,750 | $667 (2,501 SAR) | -61.89% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,400 | $533 (2,001 SAR) | -61.89% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $3,200 | $1,219 (4,573 SAR) | -61.89% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $8.43 (32 SAR) | -53.17% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $75.00 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -53.15% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $11.00 | $5.52 (21 SAR) | -49.82% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.10 | $0.63 (2 SAR) | -42.73% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.20 | $1.84 (7 SAR) | -42.5% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.40 | $1.96 (7 SAR) | -42.35% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $10.00 | $5.76 (22 SAR) | -42.4% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.00 | $2.30 (9 SAR) | -42.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.80 | $2.77 (10 SAR) | -42.29% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $12.00 | $6.91 (26 SAR) | -42.42% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.00 | $1.15 (4 SAR) | -42.5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $6.00 | $2.81 (11 SAR) | -53.17% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.00 | $6.07 (23 SAR) | -24.12% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $5.00 | $2.34 (9 SAR) | -53.2% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.30 | $1.33 (5 SAR) | -42.17% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $65.00 | $32.63 (122 SAR) | -49.8% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.75 | $1.38 (5 SAR) | -49.82% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $4.00 | $1.87 (7 SAR) | -53.25% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.80 | $0.84 (3 SAR) | -53.33% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.95 | $0.72 (3 SAR) | -24.21% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $200 | $100 (377 SAR) | -49.8% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $70.00 | $35.14 (132 SAR) | -49.8% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $45.00 | $22.59 (85 SAR) | -49.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $50.00 | $23.43 (88 SAR) | -53.14% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $14.00 | $6.56 (25 SAR) | -53.14% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $30.00 | $14.06 (53 SAR) | -53.13% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $55.00 | $41.75 (157 SAR) | -24.09% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $90.00 | $68.32 (256 SAR) | -24.09% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $250 | $117 (439 SAR) | -53.14% |
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 United States?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,033 in Saudi Arabia versus $2,410 in United States — 57.12% 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 $6.00 in United States.
- How much is rent in Saudi Arabia compared to United States?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $667/month in Saudi Arabia versus $1,750/month in United States (-61.89%). 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.