World Bank · data to 2025

Living in Saudi Arabia in figures: income, prices and jobs

10 World Bank indicators for Saudi Arabia, read in plain English, with how each has moved over about ten years. Useful context if you are weighing a job or a move there.

Short answer

Average income per person in Saudi Arabia is about $2,878 a month (2025). Prices are about 53% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $6,149 a month would there. Unemployment is 3%, and 10% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) rose 7.8% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 2.6 points and life expectancy rose by 1.9 years.

ImprovingReal income per person (after inflation) rose 7.8% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 2.6 points and life expectancy rose by 1.9 years.

10 figures that describe life in Saudi Arabia

Income↑
$34,537

The economy produces about $34,537 a year per resident, roughly $2,878 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns.

2025 · Rank 4 of 23 · Arab average 15,457 · +48.5% since 2015
Buying power↑
$73,784

Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $73,784 a year would at US prices.

2025 · Rank 3 of 23 · Arab average 29,097 · +36.8% since 2015
Cost of living↑
47 / 100

Prices overall are about 53% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $47 here.

2025 · Rank 9 of 23 · Arab average 45.1 · +3.7 since 2015
Jobs↓
3%

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 3 cannot find a job.

2025 · Rank 5 of 23 · Arab average 10.5 · -2.6 since 2015
Young people↓
10%

Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 10 in 100 have no job.

2025 · Rank 6 of 23 · Arab average 24.6 · -18.1 since 2015
Prices↑
2.1%

Prices rose 2.1% in the latest year available.

2025 · Rank 12 of 22 · Arab average 10.2 · +0.9 since 2015
Health↑
79 years

A child born today lives 79 years on average.

2024 · Rank 7 of 23 · Arab average 74.5 · +1.9 since 2014
Women in work↑
33.6%

About 33.6 in every 100 women over 15 work or are looking for work.

2025 · Rank 7 of 23 · Arab average 28.5 · +11.9 since 2015
Internet↑
100%

About 10 in every 10 people use the internet.

2024 · Rank 1 of 23 · Arab average 72.6 · +35.3 since 2014
Migration↓
119,738

More migrants arrive than leave (a net 119,738 people a year).

2025 · Rank 4 of 23 · Arab average 30,802

The arrow compares the latest value with its value about 10 years earlier: green is better, red is worse. Ranks and averages are among the 23 Arab countries on this site.

Is living standard rising? Real income per person since 1990

Income per person with inflation removed (constant 2015 US dollars), so it measures real improvement rather than rising prices.

07K14K21K28K19901995200020052010201520202025
Real income per person (2015 US$)

Unemployment over the years

0246819911996200120062011201620212025
Unemployment %

Life expectancy

02142638419901995200020052010201520202024
Years

And your own salary?

The figures above are national averages. On a gross salary worth $2,000 a month, an expat in Saudi Arabia keeps about $2,000 after income tax and social insurance.

Frequently asked questions

What is life like in Saudi Arabia, in figures?

Average income per person in Saudi Arabia is about $2,878 a month (2025). Prices are about 53% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $6,149 a month would there. Unemployment is 3%, and 10% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) rose 7.8% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 2.6 points and life expectancy rose by 1.9 years.

Is Saudi Arabia expensive to live in?

Prices overall are about 53% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $47 here. Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $73,784 a year would at US prices. Figures for 2025 from the World Bank.

What is the average income per person in Saudi Arabia?

The economy produces about $34,537 a year per resident, roughly $2,878 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns. (2025). This is the size of the economy divided by the population, not the average salary. To work out a specific salary after tax, use the salary calculator.

Is the economy in Saudi Arabia improving or declining?

Improving: Real income per person (after inflation) rose 7.8% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 2.6 points and life expectancy rose by 1.9 years.

What is the unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia?

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 3 cannot find a job. Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 10 in 100 have no job. (International Labour Organization estimates, 2025).

Sources

  1. GDP per capita (current US$)
  2. GDP per capita, PPP (current international $)
  3. Price level index (GDP), United States = 100
  4. Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
  5. Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate)
  6. Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)
  7. Gini index
  8. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population)
  9. Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
  10. Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)
  11. Individuals using the Internet (% of population)
  12. Net migration
  13. GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$)
  14. GDP growth (annual %)
  15. Population, total

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, data last updated 13 July 2026.

We show the figures as the World Bank publishes them, without adjustment. National averages do not reflect differences between cities and people.

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