Living in Sulţānah, Saudi Arabia
Sulţānah is a mid-sized city in Medina Region, Saudi Arabia (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 63 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,898 a month to live centrally, and Saudi Arabia sits in our zero or very low tax tier. For citizens from outside the Gulf Cooperation Council states, long-term residency in Saudi Arabia is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €2,898
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Zero or very low
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 28°C
- 63 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 80/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~130 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Sulţānah
- No or very low personal income tax
- Warmer than 98% of the cities we track
- Safer than 95% of the cities we compare
- Dry: about 63 mm of rain a year
Taxes
Saudi Arabia sits in our zero or very low tax tier: little to no personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Climate
Sulţānah averages 28°C across the year with about 63 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 98% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Safety and stability
Saudi Arabia scores 80 out of 100 on safety, safer than 95% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.1 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Saudi Arabia. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the Gulf Cooperation Council states. Long-term residency is realistic mainly through the Premium Residency ('Saudi green card') program, either as a one-time flat fee for permanent status or via asset-based investor, real-estate-owner, entrepreneur, and special-talent categories, all without a local sponsor; there is no passive-income or means-tested route, and the ordinary work iqama needs an employer sponsor (SAR pegged at 3.75/USD).
Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
It is harder for citizens of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Saudi Arabia:
- Investment: about $213k (Saudi Premium Residency unlimited-duration (permanent) product, one-time fee SAR 800,000; a limited-duration alternative runs SAR 100,000/yr and the real-estate-owner route needs SAR 4M in property; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 5 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 69 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 124 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Arabic. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 25 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,898 a month to live centrally in Sulţānah, 6% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 35% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Healthcare
Saudi Arabia scores 65 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 57% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Saudi Arabia.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Saudi Arabia runs at about 130 Mbps, faster than 49% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Sulţānah
Is Sulţānah a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Sulţānah scores well on safety. It is weaker on English, political stability and social openness. Expect a warm, very dry climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Sulţānah?
We estimate about €2,898 a month for a couple living centrally, 6% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Sulţānah?
Saudi Arabia is in our zero or very low tax tier (little to no personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high.
Can foreigners live in Saudi Arabia long term?
Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic mainly through the Premium Residency ('Saudi green card') program, either as a one-time flat fee for permanent status or via asset-based investor, real-estate-owner, entrepreneur, and special-talent categories, all without a local sponsor; there is no passive-income or means-tested route, and the ordinary work iqama needs an employer sponsor (SAR pegged at 3.75/USD). The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $213k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Sulţānah?
Sulţānah averages 28°C across the year with about 63 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 98% of the cities we track.
Cities like Sulţānah
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Sulţānah
Moving to Saudi Arabia as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.