Spending in Al Khobar: all activities

Card spending in Al Khobar (الخبر) 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 Al Khobar · week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH

381.9 SAR million

+1.1% against the same week last year · rank 6 of 60 cities · 3.0% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Al Khobar +4.6% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is growing more slowly than Saudi Arabia. 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 467.5, lowest 332.5.

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)

20,741SAR million, all spending · +4.6% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

50,642SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

409,549population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

5.0million transactions · +7.5% against the same week last year

76.4SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −5.9% 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 Al Khobar(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	Restaurants and cafés	3,214	+6.7%	15.5%
02	Other	2,937	+0.1%	14.2%
03	Groceries and food	2,722	+18.4%	13.1%
04	Transport	2,005	+1.3%	9.7%
05	Clothing and footwear	1,779	+49.0%	8.6%
06	Health	1,576	−2.8%	7.6%
07	Vehicle trade	1,311	−1.1%	6.3%
08	Fuel stations	1,115	−0.3%	5.4%
09	Medical services	1,042	+14.3%	5.0%
10	Furniture and furnishings	823	−1.9%	4.0%
11	Hotels	817	−5.6%	3.9%
12	Professional services	774	−24.0%	3.7%
13	Jewellery	709	+1.6%	3.4%
14	Recreation and culture	515	+6.5%	2.5%
15	Education	453	−9.0%	2.2%
16	Building materials	438	+4.0%	2.1%
17	Pharmacies	326	−37.2%	1.6%
18	Bakeries and sweets	323	+3.2%	1.6%
19	Vehicle maintenance	303	+14.4%	1.5%
20	Recreation	273	+14.8%	1.3%
21	Electronics	271	+4.1%	1.3%
22	Books and stationery	242	−1.8%	1.2%
23	Personal care	207	+1.6%	1.0%
24	Telecommunications	132	+34.6%	0.6%
25	Airlines	127	+22.1%	0.6%
26	Car rental	113	−15.9%	0.5%
27	Other transport	109	−11.3%	0.5%
28	Laundries	71	−1.2%	0.3%
29	Public utilities	65	+8.5%	0.3%
30	Freight and courier	43	+11.5%	0.2%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Al Khobar Groceries and food in Al Khobar Bakeries and sweets in Al Khobar Total spending in Al Khobar

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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