Moving to Saudi Arabia from Thailand
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Thailand to Saudi Arabia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Thailand to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 26.3% more expensive than Thailand overall. A THB2,500,000 salary in Thailand would need to be roughly SAR353,000 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Thailand to Saudi Arabia.
What does your salary buy?
THB2,500,000 → SAR353,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 42.7% more
Groceries
pay 2.6% less
Transportation
pay 5.3% less
Housing
pay 63.1% more
Childcare
pay 22.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 71.6% 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 32% more than cities in Thailand.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Thailand and Saudi Arabia 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 significantly better than Thailand 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
Thailand 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
Thailand 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 Thailand 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 generally does better on employment & economy, though Thailand leads in unemployment rate.
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 performs significantly better than Thailand across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand (2016), 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 | Bangkok | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/74°F (33°/23°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 93°/78°F (34°/26°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/77°F (32°/25°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/73°F (32°/23°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bangkok | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/70°F (32.0°/21.0°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.3°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 93°/77°F (33.7°/24.9°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 95°/79°F (34.9°/26.1°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 93°/78°F (34.0°/25.6°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 92°/78°F (33.1°/25.4°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 91°/77°F (32.7°/25.0°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 90°/77°F (32.5°/24.9°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 90°/76°F (32.3°/24.6°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 90°/76°F (32.0°/24.3°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.1°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.8°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
Thai Meteorological Department,
National Center for Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Thailand 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.
Thailand passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on Arrival
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Thailand
Visa FreeData: 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 Thailand?
Day-to-day costs in Saudi Arabia run about 26% higher than Thailand on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a THB2,500,000 comparable salary, that's around SAR88,250 in Saudi Arabia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
With 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Saudi Arabia performs significantly better than Thailand across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 4.8 in Thailand.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Thailand?
Thailand generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 5.4 in Thailand. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Thailand: 82).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Thailand?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 91°F in Bangkok. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Bangkok gets 59.0 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Thailand, the official language is Thai.
