Moving to Saudi Arabia from Serbia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Serbia to Saudi Arabia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Serbia to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 20.6% more expensive than Serbia overall. A RSD7,900,000 salary in Serbia would need to be roughly SAR342,000 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riyadh averages 92°F vs 62°F in Belgrade, making it significantly warmer.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Serbia to Saudi Arabia.
What does your salary buy?
RSD7,900,000 → SAR342,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 39.4% less
Groceries
pay 21.2% more
Transportation
pay 8.9% less
Housing
pay 58.6% more
Childcare
pay 39.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 93.6% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Saudi Arabia cost about 7% more than cities in Serbia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Serbia to Saudi Arabia.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Serbia generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia leads in homicide rate.
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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Serbia leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
Serbia performs 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 Serbia 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 significantly better than Serbia 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
Serbia generally does better on family life, though Saudi Arabia leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Finance, Republic of Serbia (2017), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (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 | Belgrade | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/33°F (7°/0°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/53°F (22°/12°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/39°F (11°/4°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Belgrade | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/28°F (3.5°/-2.3°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 44°/32°F (6.4°/-0.2°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.3°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.5°/7.8°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 72°/54°F (22.5°/12.1°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 78°/59°F (25.3°/15.0°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.3°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.1°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.7°/13.0°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 65°/47°F (18.1°/8.3°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 52°/39°F (11.0°/4.0°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 42°/32°F (5.3°/-0.2°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia,
National Center for Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Serbia and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.
Serbia passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa Required
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Serbia
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 Saudi Arabia than Serbia?
No — Saudi Arabia is on average about 21% more expensive than Serbia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly SAR85,500 in Saudi Arabia on a RSD7,900,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Serbia generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.3 in Serbia.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Serbia?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Serbia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 31.0 in Serbia. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Serbia: 72).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Serbia?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 62°F in Belgrade. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Belgrade gets 26.9 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Serbia, the official language is Serbian.
