Currency

The Saudi currency is the riyal (SR or SAR). It is also known as Saudi riyal.  One SR is subdivided into 100 halalas.  A girsh is 5 halalas.

The riyal has been the currency of Saudi Arabia since before its founding as a modern state. Coins were first issued in 1935, and bank notes were issued in 1953 by Saudi Arabia’s central bank, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). The 500 riyal bank note came into being in 1983.

Notes come in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. And while coins are rarely used in the country, they are available in 50, 25, 10, and 5 halala, and 10, 5, 2 and 1 girsh.

The riyal is pegged to the US dollar.

Money exchange centers are available throughout the country and offer better rates than banks. Service charges are applied to all transactions. 

All credit cards are accepted, and ATM machines are plentiful within the cities.