Cost of living comparison

compared to

Riyadh vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary

Riyadh is 6.0% more expensive than San Salvador.

Restaurants
pay 0.2% less in Riyadh
Groceries
pay 23.6% less in Riyadh
Transportation
pay 18.2% less in Riyadh
Housing
pay 15.0% more in Riyadh
Childcare
pay 2.6 times more in Riyadh
Entertainment and Sports
pay 86.4% more in Riyadh
Clothing
pay 6.3% less in Riyadh

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing in Riyadh are more expensive than in San Salvador. Expenses including groceries, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Riyadh. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Riyadh.

Riyadh vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Riyadh instead of San Salvador, you would:

pay 0.2% less for restaurants

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.75
SVC59.06
$7.99
SAR30.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.00
SVC61.25
$7.99
SAR30.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.14
SVC10.01
$0.87
SAR3.28

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pay 23.6% less for groceries

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Bread
1 loaf
$2.85
SVC24.94
$1.29
SAR4.83
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.85
SVC33.72
$5.27
SAR19.78
Milk (1 gallon) $6.95
SVC60.81
$6.76
SAR25.39

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pay 18.2% less for transportation

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.75
SVC41.60
$2.35
SAR8.82
Monthly public transit pass $37.50
SVC328.13
$37.31
SAR140.01
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,000.00
SVC219K
$34,642.08
SAR130K

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pay 15.0% more for housing

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$42.50
SVC371.88
$71.73
SAR269.20
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $898.99
SVC7,866.27
$1,186.87
SAR4,454.14
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $770.00
SVC6,737.58
$833.69
SAR3,128.72

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pay 2.6 times more for childcare

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $162.67
SVC1,423.35
$530.73
SAR1,991.76
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
$10,105.80
SAR37,925.40

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pay 86.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.00
SVC17.50
$2.13
SAR8.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.55
SVC31.02
$4.28
SAR16.07
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.00
SVC35.00
$7.73
SAR29.00

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pay 6.3% less for clothing

 
San Salvador
Riyadh
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$67.15
SVC587.57
$58.30
SAR218.78
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$47.00
SVC411.25
$54.26
SAR203.65
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
$102.59
SAR385.02

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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