Card spending close to last year’s level (+0.8%)
Value of point-of-sale payments in Saudi Arabia · week 4–10 October 2026 · 23–29 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH
SAR 13,525.7 million
+0.8% against the same week last year (SAR 13,419.0 million).
| This week | Same week last year | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of transactions (million) | 253.4 | 237.2 | +6.8% |
| Average transaction value (SAR) = value ÷ number | 53.4 | 56.6 | −5.6% |
What this means for your decision: Spending across Saudi Arabia in the last 4 weeks was 2.9% higher than last year; sales growing more slowly than that most likely have a local cause, which a comparison with your city and activity shows.
The week and its counterpart last year have no Ramadan or Eid, so the year-on-year comparison is seasonally like for like.
Three points
- Against the previous week −18.1%, and over the same two weeks last year −16.9%; a usual seasonal pattern, like last year.
- 8 of 19 main activities are above last year; fastest growth Public utilities +24.3%, weakest Hotels −11.9%.
- Among the 10 largest cities, 4 are above last year; fastest Buraidah +2.6%, slowest Tabuk −10.0%.
Spending above the previous year in 45 of 52 weeks
Weekly point-of-sale payments in Saudi Arabia, 12 October 2025 – 10 October 2026 · 20 Rabi' al-Akhir 1447 – 29 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH, against the same weeks 364 days earlier. Shaded: Ramadan and the two Eids this year; their Gregorian dates differ in the previous year.
[1]What this means for your decision: The 4-week trend (above) says more than a single week.
Public utilities fastest-growing, Hotels weakest this week
Change in spending by main activity against the same week last year, %.
| Activity | SAR million | Million transactions | Average transaction (SAR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public utilities | 62.6 +24.3% | 1.0 +23.8% | 64.7 +0.4% |
| Telecommunications | 210.3 +19.4% | 5.4 +29.2% | 38.6 −7.6% |
| Groceries and food | 2,296.0 +11.7% | 59.6 +9.8% | 38.5 +1.8% |
| Education | 169.9 +11.2% | 0.2 −4.7% | 768.7 +16.7% |
| Laundry | 55.5 +7.5% | 3.1 +4.6% | 17.9 +2.7% |
| Clothing and accessories | 1,025.6 +6.0% | 9.4 +6.6% | 108.8 −0.6% |
| Restaurants and cafés | 1,706.5 +1.6% | 61.2 +3.6% | 27.9 −2.0% |
| Fuel stations | 1,032.0 less than 0.1% | 18.3 +0.1% | 56.3 −0.1% |
| Culture and recreation | 338.5 less than 0.1% | 4.5 +1.6% | 75.6 −1.6% |
| Health | 882.2 −0.4% | 10.4 −0.1% | 85.1 −0.3% |
| Professional services | 756.5 −0.8% | 15.5 +37.2% | 48.7 −27.7% |
| Jewellery | 429.0 −0.8% | 0.4 +24.8% | 1,120.0 −20.5% |
| Electronics | 189.0 −2.0% | 2.2 +17.5% | 87.3 −16.5% |
| Transport | 966.2 −2.9% | 7.2 +19.7% | 133.8 −18.8% |
| Building materials | 402.5 −3.9% | 3.3 +34.8% | 123.3 −28.7% |
| Other activities | 2,066.7 −5.9% | 41.7 +2.7% | 49.5 −8.4% |
| Bakeries and sweets | 245.0 −7.5% | 6.4 −19.5% | 38.4 +14.9% |
| Furniture and home | 420.8 −8.2% | 2.8 +11.2% | 150.8 −17.4% |
| Hotels | 271.0 −11.9% | 0.8 −1.6% | 337.5 −10.5%[1] |
What this means for your decision: In the weakest activities demand is falling across the market; in the fastest, a shop growing more slowly than its activity is losing part of its share.
Buraidah fastest-growing of the 10 largest cities
Weekly spending of the 10 largest cities, SAR million.
| City | SAR million | vs previous week | vs same week last year | Million transactions | Average transaction (SAR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Riyadh | 4,815.7 | −14.4% | +1.2% | 85.7 +9.5% | 56.2 −7.5% |
| 2. Jeddah | 1,803.6 | −15.2% | −2.0% | 28.2 +2.5% | 63.9 −4.4% |
| 3. Dammam | 683.7 | −14.0% | +1.6% | 10.2 +3.7% | 67.3 −2.0% |
| 4. Makkah | 538.7 | −15.1% | +0.2% | 9.7 +3.3% | 55.6 −3.0% |
| 5. Madinah | 518.6 | −17.8% | −0.6% | 9.4 less than 0.1% | 55.1 −0.6% |
| 6. Al Khobar | 382.7 | −14.7% | −1.5% | 5.2 +3.2% | 74.3 −4.6% |
| 7. Buraidah | 338.1 | −18.3% | +2.6% | 5.6 +4.0% | 60.5 −1.4% |
| 8. Taif | 281.7 | −25.4% | −3.2% | 6.2 −0.8% | 45.7 −2.4% |
| 9. Khamis Mushait | 257.6 | −24.6% | −6.0% | 4.2 −2.6% | 60.6 −3.5% |
| 10. Tabuk | 225.6 | −28.8% | −10.0% | 4.8 −4.4% | 47.0 −5.8%[2] |
After inflation, by region (estimate)
Change in the value of spending against the same week last year, before and after removing the rise in prices in the region: (1 + change) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1.
| Region | Before removing price rises | Annual inflation | After inflation (estimate) | Cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | +0.8% | +1.8% | −1.0% | all |
| Riyadh | +1.3% | +2.3% | −0.9% | 10 |
| Makkah | −1.8% | +1.8% | −3.6% | 6 |
| Eastern Province | +0.5% | +1.7% | −1.1% | 12 |
| Madinah | −1.4% | +1.5% | −2.8% | 3 |
| Qassim | +1.8% | −0.4% | +2.2% | 5 |
| Asir | −3.4% | +1.3% | −4.6% | 5 |
| Tabuk | −9.3% | +1.5% | −10.7% | 2 |
| Hail | −0.7% | +2.2% | −2.8% | 1 |
| Jazan | −6.2% | +0.9% | −7.0% | 7 |
| Najran | +0.1% | +2.4% | −2.2% | 2 |
| Al-Baha | −2.0% | +2.0% | −3.9% | 1 |
| Al-Jouf | −2.9% | +4.3% | −7.0% | 3 |
| Northern Borders | +0.4% | +3.6% | −3.0% | 3[3] |
The attribution statement in Arabic (the Arabic text governs)
مبني على بيانات الهيئة العامة للإحصاء مع تعديل ودمج وحساب من «نبض البيانات»؛ ليس إحصاءً رسميًا ولا تزكية من الهيئة.
Estimate: a monthly regional inflation rate applied to one week, and the consumer basket does not match the card-spending basket. A region = the sum of its cities published by SAMA; “other cities” count towards Saudi Arabia only.
What this means for your decision: Saudi Arabia (+0.8%) is the reference for cities: those below it had a weaker local market this week, which does not mean your shop is weaker.
Calendar of the coming weeks
Announced calendar facts only, no forecasts; salaries from the Ministry of Finance schedule.
Also present last year, so the comparison is balanced:
- 25–31 October 2026 · 14–20 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH: Government salaries on Tuesday 27 October (16 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
- 22–28 November 2026 · 12–18 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448 AH: Government salaries on Thursday 26 November (16 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448 AH).
Ramadan 1448 AH starts around Monday 8 February 2027 (1 Ramadan 1448 AH) by the Umm al-Qura calendar (the official start is by moon sighting), in 16 weeks.
What this means for your decision: The salary week was 20.2% higher than the average ordinary week over the last 52 weeks.
Figure of the week from outside spending
The real estate price index in the Riyadh region changed +4.2% in Q2 2026 (Shawwal 1447 – Muharram 1448 AH) against the same quarter a year earlier, and +1.3% for Saudi Arabia. GASTAT publishes it quarterly for residential, commercial and agricultural property; it measures the price trend, not the price of a specific property.[4]
Published by GASTAT on 19 July 2026 (5 Safar 1448 AH). Details on the housing and real estate page. Reuse terms: GASTAT data use policy.
The attribution statement in Arabic (the Arabic text governs; the English above is a summary)
المصدر: الهيئة العامة للإحصاء — الرقم القياسي لأسعار العقارات. التنظيم والحساب من «نبض البيانات»، وليس إحصاءً رسميًا ولا تزكية من الهيئة.
Methodology
- Point-of-sale payments by card and mobile, from SAMA: 60 cities weekly, 30 activities for Saudi Arabia weekly (19 main and 11 sub-activities), and 60×30 monthly.
- Cash payments and online purchases are not included.
- City = location of the payment terminal, not where the buyer lives. Activity = the merchant’s classification at the bank.
- Figures are before removing price rises, so part of the growth is higher prices, not larger quantities.
- SAMA may revise its figures; we update earlier issues and say so here.
- The only estimate is the “after inflation” column; every other figure is published or calculated directly.
What changed: Newsletter methodology 1.1. Added the week 4–10 October 2026 · 23–29 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH.