Cost of living comparison
Saudi Arabia is 26.9% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 57.2% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.06
|
$6.90
SAR25.90
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.56
|
$7.35
SAR27.61
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$0.74
SAR2.77
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.72
|
$0.25
SAR0.95
|
|
pay 28.6% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.57
|
$0.89
SAR3.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.42
|
$3.67
SAR13.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$6.52
SAR24.48
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
|
$2.55
SAR9.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.79
|
$3.27
SAR12.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$0.93
SAR3.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
|
$0.74
SAR2.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$0.73
SAR2.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$0.74
SAR2.76
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$0.63
SAR2.37
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$0.61
SAR2.28
|
|
pay 6.0% less for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.22
|
$2.30
SAR8.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.67
|
$37.83
SAR142.08
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,291.62
|
$25,221.79
SAR94,720.41
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.84
|
$17.96
SAR67.45
|
|
pay 40.6% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.69
|
$73.85
SAR277.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,107.08
|
$390.65
SAR1,467.09
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$831.82
|
$280.05
SAR1,051.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$140.13
|
$85.53
SAR321.22
|
|
pay 70.8% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,030.74
|
$296.51
SAR1,113.54
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,379.75
|
$6,039.49
SAR22,681.29
|
|
pay 10.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.03
|
$1.65
SAR6.18
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
|
$3.66
SAR13.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.26
|
$7.12
SAR26.74
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.83
|
$99.67
SAR374.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.12
|
$17.24
SAR64.75
|
|
pay 5.0% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Saudi Arabia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.34
|
$43.59
SAR163.70
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.37
|
$56.89
SAR213.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.19
|
$93.76
SAR352.11
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.97
|
$77.91
SAR292.58
|
|
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