Cost of Living in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Updated On March 3, 2023

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Al Khobar?

Al Khobar is a city located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Often referred to as just Khobar, it is generally considered to be a very pleasant, cosmopolitan city, thanks to its seaside location and beachside Corniche.

You’ll also find both a mixed ex-pat population and Arab population, which makes living in Khobar rather relaxed in comparison to other, stricter Saudi countries.

When it comes to the cost of living, it really depends on your preferences and lifestyle.

Generally speaking, the cost of living in AlKhobar is affordable and much lower than in most cities in Gulf Council countries.

Cost of Living Index:
50.6
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

If you’re into fast food, local vendors such as Baba Habbas have delicious and cheap hamburgers, fries, and drinks that resemble the food from other parts of the world, but aren’t quite the same.

Apart from the local food, there are many good local and international brands as well which offer great burgers, pizzas, pasta, fish, etc. and in most of these places, you can eat for only 6$.

Markets

MARKETS

Cooking your own food will save you a whole lot of money.

Here you can find huge chains of supermarkets where you’ll find whatever you need.

What’s interesting for foreigners are the locally grown high-quality dates that can be a bit expensive.

Everything else is pretty cheap.

There are well-maintained air-conditioned malls and grocery stores scattered all around the city.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Public transport is poor in Al Khobar.

Taxis and the so-called “dubbabs” dominate the streets, but they are usually used by lower-scale foreign workers.

If you own a car – then you need to spend only on oil and it’s very cheap in Saudi Arabia.

Be prepared that in some cases with taxis you’ll have to haggle the price in advance.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are staggeringly cheap in Khobar, like in most cities of Saudi Arabia – but here, they’re cheaper than in most cities of Saudi Arabia.

The utilities there amount to around 177.35$ per month for basic ones like electricity, water, cooling, heating, and garbage services in an apartment of 85m2.

Internet, however, is pretty expensive compared to this and especially compared to many other countries, costing over 60$.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Al Khobar has a coastline, so you can actually go swimming if you’re into outdoor sports.

The beaches are great, so if you want to swim and stay active that way, this is the place to go.

You can usually also find fitness centers in hotels in Khabar, but be prepared to pay a very high price.

They usually have indoor swimming pools, indoor football courts, and pool tables but a month of this pleasure will cost you over 80$.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

The Rashid Mall and Mall of Dhahran are Khobar’s two biggest malls and can easily match those found in western countries.

You can go there for a splendid shopping experience and you’ll be able to roam for hours.

The prices are relatively low – quality jeans cost around 67$, while summer dresses and shirts are around 69$.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Rent is a bit costlier in Khobar than in other cities of Saudi Arabia.

Though your accommodation rent will be lower if you share an apartment – which would cost you around 180$ a month, a one-bedroom apartment is always a better solution.

Depending on your particular location, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center would amount to up to 368.03$, while one a bit further would cost around 315.29$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Al Khobar

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$6.39
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$2.00
Water (0.33 Liter)$0.27
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.77
Loaf Bread (500g)$1.13
Eggs (12)$3.12
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$1.33
Monthly Pass$67.94
Gasoline$0.62
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$177.35
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.18
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$73.89
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$92.15
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$25.76
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$16.65
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$67.14
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$69.28
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$102.14
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$368.03
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$315.29
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$748.26

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Al Khobar?

The good thing about cities of Saudi Arabia like Al Khobar is that the saving potential is huge compared to the cities in other Gulf countries – since there are no distractions where you can go spend all the money you earned and everything is so cheap!

As for the expenses, the biggest chunk of the paycheck of Al Khobar’s citizens gets spent on food.

The next huge expense is rent since the standard is higher in this country when it comes to rent prices.

What is shockingly high is the percentage of sports expenses.

A bigger percentage of one’s income gets spent on sports than on transportation, restaurants, or utilities!

Average Costs Breakdown

14.2%
33.1%
13.2%
9.4%
11.8%
3.6%
14.8%

Al Khobar: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

The area of Al Khobar city is famous for oil and gas job opportunities, in addition to other jobs still in demand.

This is why, apart from the shockingly high salaries and standard of living, it’s great to live in this city, in a financial sense.

The average monthly net salary is around 2600$, which, taking into account the low prices in the country, is staggeringly high – and higher yet than in many other Saudi Arabia cities.

Even the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia of 800.0$ is more than enough to live a comfortable life.

Again, it’s actually a great city for expatriates to earn and save some money.

Average Salary$2531.22
Minimum Wage$800.0
Mortgage Interest Rate3.97%

Cost of Living by City in Al Khobar

CityCost of Living Index
Ad Dammam48.43
Jeddah (Jiddah)49.99
Riyadh48.68

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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