Ask five people what an interior designer costs in Saudi Arabia and you will get five different answers, because the question is really three questions at once: what tier of finish, what size of space, and which city. Riyadh, Jeddah and the smaller cities do not price the same, and a showroom-driven quote is not the same thing as a designer’s fee. Here is what the numbers actually look like once they are separated out.
The Four Pricing Tiers, in SAR per Square Metre
Most studios price residential work in one of four bands, and knowing which band a quote sits in tells you more than the total figure does.
- Standard: SAR 800 to 1,500/sqm, typical for apartments and straightforward duplexes
- Mid-range: SAR 1,500 to 2,500/sqm, the usual band for a family villa or a small office
- Luxury: SAR 2,500 to 3,500/sqm, premium finishes and full custom furniture
- Ultra-luxury: SAR 3,000 to 4,500/sqm, palace-level work with imported everything
A Worked Example, So the Range Means Something
A 400 sqm mid-range villa, full design and specification with standard supervision, typically lands between SAR 120,000 and SAR 200,000. That figure covers the design fee and documentation, not the furniture and finishing budget itself, and it is the number worth asking a studio to confirm before anything else is discussed.
A quote is only comparable to another quote once you know what tier, what area, and what is actually included in it.
What Actually Moves the Fee
Four things change the number more than anything else. Imported finishes, Italian marble and European hardware in particular, run close to three times the cost of good local alternatives. Custom furniture and joinery cost more than ready-made pieces by design, not by accident. A compressed timeline pushes up labour and rush shipping. And scope is the biggest lever of all: a full villa renovation is a different project from refreshing one reception room, even at the same per-metre rate.
Where the 15% Adds Up
Saudi Arabia’s VAT sits at 15%, applied to design fees, materials and most fit-out services. On a SAR 150,000 project that is over SAR 22,000, and it belongs in the budget conversation on day one, not as a line that appears for the first time on the final invoice.
Designing From Outside Saudi Arabia, Without Losing Control
None of this requires the designer to be based in the Kingdom. A Consultation built around drawings, specifications and 3D visualisation travels well: the brief, the site measurements and the supplier coordination happen over video and WhatsApp, and the drawings that reach your contractor in Riyadh or Jeddah are the same technical package a local studio would hand over in person.
A Second Worked Example, for Contrast
A smaller, standard-tier apartment fit-out in Riyadh or Jeddah, around 150 square metres, tells a different story from the villa example above. At SAR 800 to 1,500 per square metre, the design and specification fee typically falls between SAR 120,000 and 225,000 for the full apartment, though many apartment clients scope only the living areas and kitchen rather than every room, which brings the practical number down considerably. The lesson is the same either way: the per-metre rate times the actual scoped area, not the whole property, is what a fee is built from.
Comparing Saudi Arabia to its Gulf neighbours also helps calibrate expectations. Design fees in Riyadh and Jeddah sit broadly in line with Dubai and Abu Dhabi once currency and VAT differences are accounted for, though villa sizes in Saudi Arabia tend to run larger, which is often what makes a Saudi project total look bigger even at a comparable rate per square metre.
What a Fee Proposal Should Spell Out
Scope Written Down
A fair proposal names the rooms or areas covered, the design rounds included and the documents you will receive. If any of these is missing, ask for it before comparing the figure with another offer, because a lower number often just means a smaller scope.
Stages and Deliverables
Concept, layout, drawings, visualisation, specification and supervision are different pieces of work. Ask for each one to be listed, so you can see what you are paying for at every stage and what you could take on separately.
What Is Usually Excluded
The furniture and finishing budget, contractor works, shipping and any official approvals are normally outside a design fee. Ask the studio to state plainly which of these are excluded, so nothing arrives later as a surprise.
Comparing Quotes Fairly
Same Scope, Same Tier
Two offers can only be compared when they cover the same area, the same level of finish and the same documents. Put the offers side by side and mark every difference before deciding which one is better value.
Fixed Fee, Area Rate or Staged Fee
Some studios quote one fixed fee, some price by area and some charge by stage. None is wrong, but each behaves differently when the scope changes, so ask what happens to the figure if you add a room or remove one.
Levels of Supervision
Supervision can mean an occasional review of photographs, regular video visits to the site or a representative on the ground. These are very different services, and the difference should be visible in the proposal rather than hidden in a single line.
Planning the Budget Around the Fee
Separate Design, Furniture and Build Budgets
Treat the design fee, the furniture and finishes, and the building works as three separate budgets. Mixing them makes it hard to see where the money is going, and it hides which decisions are driving the total.
Keep a Reserve for the Unexpected
Older buildings reveal surprises once walls are opened, and even a new villa changes when the owner revises a decision halfway. A reserve held back from the start turns those moments into manageable choices instead of arguments.
Tie Payments to Milestones
Payments linked to delivered stages keep both sides aligned. You pay when a stage is complete and approved, and the studio is paid for work that is actually finished.
Choosing Where to Spend and Where to Save
Spend on What You Touch Every Day
Seating, kitchen surfaces, flooring and lighting are used constantly, so quality shows there first. Good joinery and honest materials in these places repay the investment for years.
Save on What Is Seen Rarely
Rooms used occasionally and details seen from a distance can use simpler finishes without harming the overall impression. Careful design makes modest materials look deliberate.
Weigh Local Against Imported
Imported materials bring particular looks, but also longer waiting and more coordination. Ask the studio for a good local alternative beside each imported choice so you can decide with both options in front of you.
Hiring a Cairo Studio for a Saudi Project
What Remote Work Does and Does Not Change
Working from Cairo does not reduce the design work itself: the layout, drawings and specification are the same as a local studio would produce. Ask each studio to list what is included so that a local quote and a remote quote can be compared like for like.
Currency, VAT and Contract Terms
Confirm in writing which currency the studio invoices in, how VAT is handled on the invoice and which terms govern the agreement. Take advice from your own accountant where you need certainty, and settle these points before work begins.
What to Prepare Before Asking for a Quote
Have ready the area to be designed, a list of the rooms, photographs, the level of finish you expect and the date you hope to move in. The more precise the brief, the more precise and comparable the quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do two quotes for the same villa look so different?
Usually the scope, the tier of finish or the supervision included is different. Ask both studios to describe what is covered, and the gap normally explains itself.
Should I ask for a fixed total before the design starts?
Ask first for the per-metre tier and a clear scope. A fixed total only means something once the scope is written down.
Is the design fee the whole project cost?
No. The design fee is separate from furniture, finishing, contractor works and shipping, which each belong in their own budget.
Can I pay for the design stage only?
Many clients start with design and documentation, then decide how much supervision they want. Confirm with the studio how the stages can be separated.
How do I know a studio is pricing honestly?
It answers questions about tier, area and inclusions without hesitation, and it puts those answers in writing.
Ask for the per-square-metre tier and the VAT-inclusive total before you ask for a final number. A studio that answers both questions without hesitating is one that prices honestly.
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What Interior Design Really Costs in Saudi Arabia
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