Madinah International School
BritishInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inMadinah, Saudi Arabia
Medina Region, Saudi Arabia1.3MHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Pteropus conspicillatus
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 2.25x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Saudi Arabia: $63,051/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 55% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
2.2x further
Prices are 55% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
8.1x further
Prices are 88% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.3x further
Prices are 57% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
2.9x further
Prices are 66% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$63,051
PPP, International $
City Population
1.3M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$560/mo
1BR Outside Center$524/mo
3BR City Center$765/mo
3BR Outside Center$572/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$5.46
Mid-Range (2 people)$32
Milk (1L)$1.47
Eggs (12)$2.05
Transport
Monthly Pass$37
Gasoline (1L)$0.61
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$150/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$89/mo
Education
Preschool$289/mo
Intl Primary School$5,506/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Saudi Arabia as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Madinah.
Quality
Public schools are for nationals
Expat access
Not practical for most expat families
not practicalInstruction
Arabic
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Saudi public schools are Arabic-medium and limited to Saudi nationals and other Arabs in some contexts. Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar have large international school sectors serving the substantial expat population.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Public schools are reserved for Saudi nationals. Expat families rely heavily on international schools, which are abundant in major cities.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with approvalRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Saudi Arabia allows homeschooling with approval from the Ministry of Education. Typically granted for medical or distance reasons. Growing acceptance but still relatively uncommon.
Homeschool legality in Saudi Arabia — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
2 confirmed schools
1 more suggested by AI, not verified
- British1
- Other1
Manarat International Schools - Madinah
OtherInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Saudi Arabia.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$775-$1,050
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,300-$1,750
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Madinah is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Saudi Arabia.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
7 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongGood national coverage, strong doctor availability, and low out-of-pocket burden support this rating.
Public care
StrongBroad public coverage, strong public funding, and relatively low patient cost-sharing support this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
83/100
2023
Physicians
3.41/1k
2023
Hospital beds
2.41/1k
2023
Out of pocket
14%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
79.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
7/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
2.9/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedCountry-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 4Pharmacy: 3
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Saudi Arabia yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
مستشفى المواساة
Hospital · Emergency
مستشفى المغربي
Hospital · Emergency
مستشفی السعودی الآلمانی
Hospital · Emergency
Al Miqat Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
صيدلية النحاس
Pharmacy
صيدلية النهدي
Pharmacy
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index84/100
Crime Index16/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.66
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2022 annual wages in Madinah, Saudi Arabia · Source: GASTAT (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
big mac
$5.06Estimated19% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.27Estimated63% cheaper
budget hotel
$140.97Survey-verified288% more
childcare preschool
$288.63Estimated81% cheaper
cinema
$13.00Estimated21% cheaper
coca cola
$0.65Estimated70% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.05Estimated57% cheaper
gasoline liter
$14.95Survey-verified1352% more
inexpensive meal
$8.80Survey-verified58% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$89.09Estimated32% more
iphone
$1049.00Estimated5% more
jeans
$50.00Estimated2% cheaper
latte
$4.00Estimated25% cheaper
luxury hotel
$140.97Survey-verified71% cheaper
mcmeal
$8.80Survey-verified13% cheaper
milk liter
$1.47Estimated20% more
monthly pass
$14.95Survey-verified78% cheaper
nike shoes
$75.00Estimated18% cheaper
rent 1br
$342.64Survey-verified81% cheaper
rent 2br
$342.64Survey-verified92% cheaper
rent 3br
$764.66Estimated76% cheaper
taxi km
$1.87EstimatedSame
utilities basic
$149.50Estimated30% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa on arrival
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Madinah compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Madinah than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Saudi Arabia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Madinah cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Madinah is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 55% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Madinah. We are using the country-level cost index for Saudi Arabia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Madinah compare with New York City?
Rent in Madinah is about 88% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Saudi Arabia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Madinah?
Groceries in Madinah are about 57% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 66% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Saudi Arabia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Madinah
Madinah is a city in western Saudi Arabia's Hejaz region, an inland settlement of about 1.3 million sitting at roughly 600 meters and Islam's second-holiest city, home to the Prophet's Mosque. The local economy and rhythm are dominated by pilgrim flows (Madinah is typically visited together with Makkah during Hajj and Umrah), hospitality, and a growing administrative and education base anchored by Taibah University and the Islamic University of Madinah. Relocators should weigh that non-Muslims are barred from the central holy precinct, which constrains where foreigners can live and work; most foreign professionals are in service, hospitality, education, and construction roles. The climate is hot desert with very hot summers and mild winters, Arabic is essential, and the Haramain high-speed rail links to Makkah and Jeddah.
Extremely hot desert climate (45°C+ summers, cool winters)Excellent fiber internet and 5G coverageModerate expat community with growing digital nomad presenceVery walkable city center; many areas require carsStrong halal food scene with Saudi and international cuisinesNo nightlife; alcohol prohibited; conservative social environmentLimited coworking spaces but growing remote work infrastructureVery safe with low crime rates; heavy police presence
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