Spending in AlUla: all activities

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

14.1 SAR million

−3.6% against the same week last year · rank 55 of 60 cities · 0.1% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: AlUla −3.2% 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 37.4, lowest 13.2.

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)

1,051SAR million, all spending · −3.2% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

17,489SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

60,103population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.4million transactions · +6.9% against the same week last year

38.7SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −9.9% 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 AlUla(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	Other	179	−3.5%	17.0%
02	Groceries and food	153	−4.7%	14.6%
03	Fuel stations	148	+13.2%	14.0%
04	Hotels	136	−15.5%	13.0%
05	Restaurants and cafés	110	−4.5%	10.5%
06	Transport	59	+4.9%	5.6%
07	Clothing and footwear	56	+29.0%	5.4%
08	Health	49	−19.1%	4.6%
09	Professional services	29	−31.6%	2.8%
10	Furniture and furnishings	29	−16.5%	2.7%
11	Building materials	29	−0.8%	2.7%
12	Pharmacies	26	−26.2%	2.5%
13	Bakeries and sweets	20	−35.7%	1.9%
14	Recreation and culture	16	−32.3%	1.5%
15	Vehicle trade	14	−16.0%	1.4%
16	Recreation	14	−34.7%	1.3%
17	Vehicle maintenance	14	+25.3%	1.3%
18	Medical services	14	−0.6%	1.3%
19	Car rental	14	+15.6%	1.3%
20	Jewellery	10	+15.4%	0.9%
21	Personal care	9	−18.0%	0.8%
22	Laundries	8	+1.6%	0.8%
23	Public utilities	8	+423.4%	0.7%
24	Freight and courier	7	—	0.7%
25	Telecommunications	7	−21.5%	0.6%
26	Airlines	6	+126.4%	0.6%
27	Electronics	4	−72.7%	0.4%
28	Other transport	4	−70.9%	0.4%
29	Books and stationery	2	−13.7%	0.2%
30	Education	1	—	0.1%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in AlUla Groceries and food in AlUla Bakeries and sweets in AlUla Total spending in AlUla

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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