Cost of Living inMedina, Saudi Arabia
Image credit: สปAbd al-Ghaffฤr, al-Sayyid, Physician of Mecca, photographer
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Saudi Arabia: $62,793/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 56% 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.
Income Category
Happiness
6.6 / 10
#28 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Monthly Costs
Rent
Food
Transport
Utilities
Education
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost โ the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Saudi Arabia; Medina-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Public schools are for nationals
Expat access
Not practical for most expat families
not practicalInstruction
Arabic
Language fit is more manageable.
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.
๐ Homeschooling
Legal with approvalSaudi 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 โ check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
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.Medina 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.
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 weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
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
System metrics: World Bank WDI ยท Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | โ |
| Agriculture & Farming | โ |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | โ |
| Construction | โ |
| Education | โ |
| Finance & Insurance | โ |
| Healthcare & Social Work | โ |
| Hospitality & Food Service | โ |
| Information & Technology | โ |
| Manufacturing | โ |
| Mining & Quarrying | โ |
| Other Services | โ |
| Professional & Scientific Services | โ |
| Public Administration & Defence | โ |
| Real Estate | โ |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | โ |
| Transport & Logistics | โ |
| Utilities | โ |
2022 annual wages in Medina, Saudi Arabia ยท Source: GASTAT (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page โ no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Medina compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Medina 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 Medina cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Medina is cheaper overall than New York City โ overall living costs are about 56% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Medina. 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 Medina compare with New York City?
Rent in Medina is about 87% 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 Medina?
Groceries in Medina are about 59% 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 Medina
Medina, the Anglicized form of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, is a city of about 1.3 million in the country's western Hejaz region, Islam's second-holiest city and home to the Prophet's Mosque. The local economy revolves around pilgrimage and Umrah-related hospitality alongside a growing administrative, university, and service base, with Taibah University and the Islamic University of Madinah anchoring tertiary education. Relocators should weigh the legal restriction barring non-Muslims from the central holy precinct, which sharply constrains where foreign professionals can live, work, and travel within the city; most international staff are clustered in hospitality, education, construction, and pilgrim-logistics roles. The climate is hot desert with summer highs regularly above 40 C, Arabic is the working language, and the Haramain high-speed line links Makkah and Jeddah.
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