Cost of living comparison

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

compared to

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad vs. Riyadh Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 54.1% cheaper than Riyadh.

Restaurants: pay 49.3% less in Islamabad
Groceries: pay 53.0% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 31.8% less in Islamabad
Housing: pay 60.9% less in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 76.5% less in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 58.2% less in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 48.7% less in Islamabad

Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Islamabad.

Islamabad vs. Riyadh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Islamabad instead of Riyadh, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 49.3% less for restaurants

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.39 SAR31.45	$1.79 PKR501.59	-78.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.99 SAR29.95	$4.30 PKR1,203.83	-46.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.76 SAR2.86	$0.35 PKR99.18	-53.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.30 SAR1.12	$0.24 PKR67.82	-18.6%
Average			-49.3%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 53.0% less for groceries

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$1.24 SAR4.64	$0.68 PKR190.02	-45.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.91 SAR14.66	$2.96 PKR829.49	-24.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.64 SAR24.91	$3.31 PKR928.60	-50.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.63 SAR9.88	$1.25 PKR350.32	-52.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.80 SAR14.25	$1.64 PKR459.87	-56.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.03 SAR3.88	$0.48 PKR135.15	-53.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.78 SAR2.94	$0.38 PKR107.26	-51.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.82 SAR3.07	$0.37 PKR104.12	-54.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.76 SAR2.83	$0.26 PKR73.12	-65.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.60 SAR2.25	$0.19 PKR52.85	-68.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.64 SAR2.41	$0.25 PKR70.26	-61.0%
Average			-53.0%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 31.8% less for transportation

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.31 SAR8.67	$3.81 PKR1,066.70	+64.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.27 SAR139.77	$6.80 PKR1,906.06	-81.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$33,280.09 SAR124,796.53	$21,479.46 PKR6,019,126.70	-35.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.70 SAR62.61	$4.27 PKR1,197.81	-74.4%
Average			-31.8%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 60.9% less for housing

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$74.70 SAR280.10	$18.16 PKR5,087.60	-75.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,116.87 SAR4,188.13	$174.15 PKR48,802.14	-84.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$782.38 SAR2,933.85	$99.01 PKR27,744.41	-87.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$81.80 SAR306.74	$84.99 PKR23,815.54	+3.9%
Average			-60.9%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 76.5% less for childcare

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$360.22 SAR1,350.78	$60.17 PKR16,861.27	-83.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,375.93 SAR38,908.56	$3,142.14 PKR880,512.25	-69.7%
Average			-76.5%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 58.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.13 SAR7.99	$1.79 PKR501.59	-16.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.25 SAR15.94	$1.97 PKR551.28	-53.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$7.45 SAR27.95	$2.15 PKR601.91	-71.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$101.01 SAR378.79	$23.01 PKR6,449.06	-77.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$15.97 SAR59.90	$4.30 PKR1,203.83	-73.1%
Average			-58.2%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 48.7% less for clothing

	Riyadh	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$52.20 SAR195.76	$19.06 PKR5,340.50	-63.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$54.44 SAR204.14	$26.18 PKR7,335.81	-51.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$107.53 SAR403.22	$83.29 PKR23,340.84	-22.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$89.80 SAR336.72	$38.79 PKR10,870.79	-56.8%
Average			-48.7%

Riyadh vs. Islamabad - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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See the cost of living in Saudi Arabia vs. Pakistan. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

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