Moving to Syria from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Saudi Arabia to Syria — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Syria, you would find that Syria is 49.3% cheaper than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR280,000 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly SYP492,000,000 in Syria to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Damascus averages 78°F vs 92°F in Riyadh, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Saudi Arabia to Syria.
What does your salary buy?
SAR280,000 → SYP492,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Syria
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.4% more
Groceries
pay 35.8% less
Transportation
pay 28.8% less
Housing
pay 64.4% less
Childcare
pay 83.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 62.7% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Saudi Arabia and Syria stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Saudi Arabia performs better than Syria across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Syria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Syria performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Syria leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Saudi Arabia performs better than Syria across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Syria leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2009–2022), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), Ministry of Finance, Syria (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 60°/35°F (15°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 85°/51°F (29°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 96°/60°F (35°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 70°/40°F (21°/5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 55°/33°F (12.6°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 59°/34°F (14.8°/1.3°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 66°/39°F (18.9°/3.7°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 76°/45°F (24.5°/7.0°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 85°/51°F (29.7°/10.5°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 94°/58°F (34.2°/14.2°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 98°/62°F (36.5°/16.9°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 97°/62°F (36.2°/16.5°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 92°/55°F (33.4°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 82°/48°F (28.0°/8.9°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 69°/39°F (20.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 58°/34°F (14.2°/1.3°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Ministry of Defence Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia and Syria. To live, work, or study long-term in Syria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Syria's immigration authority.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Syria
Visa Free
Syria passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Syria than Saudi Arabia?
Generally yes: Syria runs about 49% cheaper than Saudi Arabia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Syria?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SAR280,000 comparable salary, that's around SYP123,000,000 in Syria for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Syria?
With 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Syria can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Is Syria safe for expats?
Saudi Arabia performs better than Syria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Syria is 2.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Syria compared to Saudi Arabia?
Syria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Syria, compared to 34.1 in Saudi Arabia. Syria scores 64 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Syria compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Damascus is 78°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Damascus receives around 5.3 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Syria?
Both Saudi Arabia and Syria share the same official language: Arabic.
