Spending in Ahad Rufaidah: all activities

Card spending in Ahad Rufaidah (أحد رفيدة) across 30 activities, from the point-of-sale statistics published by Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), monthly since January 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1445 AH). Official figures · match SAMA's published figures within rounding Coverage: cards only, ~57% of personal spending

Card spending in Ahad Rufaidah · week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH

21.9 SAR million

+3.9% against the same week last year · rank 40 of 60 cities · 0.2% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Ahad Rufaidah −5.0% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is declining while Saudi Arabia grows. Compare your shop's growth with your city's growth, not with Saudi Arabia's: if it is slower than the city, the gap comes from the shop, not the market.

SAR million per week · oldest on the left, newest on the right (in amber) · axis: Gregorian month, then Hijri month (Umm al-Qura). Highest week 39.0, lowest 16.3.

Source: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), weekly point-of-sale bulletins (value of transactions), latest published week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH. Attributed to SAMA; the analysis is ours.

Last 12 months to August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH)

1,267SAR million, all spending · −5.0% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

15,999SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

79,202population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.5million transactions · +1.2% against the same week last year

46.0SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · +2.7% against the same week last year

This week in the Spending Index newsletter, issue 2: what changed and why

Data coverage: these figures are card payments (point of sale) only: about 57% of personal spending in 2025; the rest is cash and does not appear here. Part of the growth is a shift from cash to cards, not new demand: in 2025, card payments in Saudi Arabia grew +5.8%, but including cash withdrawals the growth is +1.9%. Read the figures as a trend and a comparison between cities and activities, not as an absolute market size.

Interactive analysis for Ahad Rufaidah(Arabic)

Activities ranked

Each activity by its spending over the last 12 months to August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH), its growth over the last 3 months against the same months a year earlier, and its share of the city's spending. Source: SAMA (point of sale).

#	Activity	12 months, SAR million	3 months vs last year	Share of city
01	Groceries and food	358	−24.3%	28.3%
02	Other	168	+61.9%	13.3%
03	Restaurants and cafés	150	−24.8%	11.8%
04	Transport	131	+78.1%	10.3%
05	Vehicle trade	85	+117.5%	6.7%
06	Fuel stations	84	−20.8%	6.6%
07	Professional services	76	−47.5%	6.0%
08	Health	66	−38.6%	5.2%
09	Building materials	55	+36.2%	4.4%
10	Clothing and footwear	52	+81.6%	4.1%
11	Vehicle maintenance	35	+19.5%	2.7%
12	Furniture and furnishings	32	+35.2%	2.5%
13	Medical services	31	−8.7%	2.4%
14	Pharmacies	24	−63.7%	1.9%
15	Hotels	23	+41.7%	1.8%
16	Bakeries and sweets	19	+11.7%	1.5%
17	Recreation and culture	17	+27.3%	1.3%
18	Electronics	16	+34.5%	1.2%
19	Recreation	13	+40.0%	1.1%
20	Personal care	11	+14.1%	0.9%
21	Other transport	8	+159.6%	0.7%
22	Laundries	8	−1.4%	0.6%
23	Telecommunications	5	−1.9%	0.4%
24	Education	4	−4.6%	0.3%
25	Books and stationery	3	−24.6%	0.3%
26	Airlines	1	−14.2%	0.1%
27	Car rental	1	+56.0%	0.1%
28	Public utilities	1	−78.0%	0.1%
29	Jewellery	1	+30.5%	0.1%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Ahad Rufaidah Groceries and food in Ahad Rufaidah Bakeries and sweets in Ahad Rufaidah Total spending in Ahad Rufaidah

Growth is measured against the same months of the previous year. Part of the growth in card payments is a shift from cash, not new demand. A business decision needs a field visit and your own figures.

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