Cost of Living in Jeddah (Jiddah), Saudi Arabia

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How Much Does It Cost to Live In Jeddah (Jiddah)?

Jeddah is a city located on the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia.

Its importance lies in the fact that it is the second largest city of the country and a major commercial center of Saudi Arabia.

The cost of living is much cheaper than in other major cities of the country, but again – this is all relative.

It basically depends on your lifestyle, on your family (if you have one) and your personal preferences.

All in all, the city is described as lively, youthful and a joy to be in.

RESTAURANTS

Jeddah is known in Saudi Arabia for its restaurants and cafes. Jeddah has its own restaurants and some of them are the only ones in Saudi Arabia. They’re really good and very expensive. However, you can always find many good local and international brands as well which offer great burgers, pizzas, pastas, fish etc. and in most of these places, you can eat for only about 4$.

MARKETS

If you cook by yourself you’ll save up a whole lot of money. In Jeddah you can find huge chains of supermarkets where you’ll find whatever you need. What’s interesting for foreigners are some locally grown high-quality food like dates and those foods can be a bit expensive. Everything else is pretty cheap. There are well maintained air-conditioned malls and grocery stores scattered throughout the city.

TRANSPORTATION

As for public transport – within cities, taxis are the only practical means of transportation. Taxis are rather inexpensive, with most 10 minute rides costing about 3-6$. Basically, transportation cost depends on whether you own a car or not. If you do – then you need to spend only on oil, which is mostly very cheap.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are rather cheap in Jeddah, which is expected in the cities of Saudi Arabia – in fact, they’re cheaper than in most cities around the world. The cost of utilities there amounts to only around 75$ for a 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.

SPORTS & LEISURE

Jeddah has a coastline, so you can actually go swimming if you’re into outdoorsy 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 of Jeddah, 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 85$.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Jeddah is known in the kingdom for its shopping districts and cafes. You can visit the Mall of Arabia that has recently opened and is the biggest shopping mall in Saudi Arabia. The prices are relatively low – quality jeans cost around 42$, while summer dresses and shirts are around 50$. Quality sneakers are more expensive, standing at around 85$.

RENT PER MONTH

Rent isn’t too high in Jeddah. Though your accommodation rent will be lower if you share an apartment – which would cost you around 180$ a month, a one-bedroom apartment shouldn’t cost too much either. Depending on where you want to live, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center would amount up to 320$, while one a bit further would cost around 250$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Jeddah (Jiddah)

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Jeddah (Jiddah)?

Much like everywhere else in Saudi Arabia, the saving potential in Jeddah 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!

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

Rent will be your problem when it comes to finances, but if you came to work here, you won’t have any problems since most companies give you a housing allowance.

What is shockingly high is the percentage of sports expenses.

As much as 17% of one’s entire salary gets spent on sports, which is very high.

Average Costs Breakdown

Jeddah (Jiddah): Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

One of the greatest things about living in Saudi Arabia are its very high salaries, and this applies to Jeddah too.

The average monthly net salary is around 1450$, which, taking into account the low prices in the country, is staggeringly high, particularly when compared to most other countries around the world.

Saudi Arabia has a government-mandated minimum wage in most cities, and no worker in these cities can be paid less then this mandatory minimum rate of pay.

The minimum wage in Saudi Arabia is 1400$ and is more than enough to live a comfortable life.

Jeddah Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Jeddah Safety Review

Safety Index:

68

• OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
• MUGGING RISK: LOW
• TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM

Cost of Living by City in Jeddah (Jiddah)