Convert Saudi riyals (SAR) to US dollars (USD) at today's reference rate. Common amounts, 30-day tables, a 12-month chart, and how the peg works.
These figures use the same daily reference rate shown above, so they move when the rate moves. They are a quick way to size an amount of Saudi riyals in US dollars without typing it into the converter; for any other figure, use the SAR to USD converter at the top of this page.
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The inverse rate is simply 1 ÷ R, so the same reference rate answers the reverse question.
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SAR/USD pairs a major reserve currency (USD) with a less heavily traded one (SAR). That usually means the rate is calculated as a cross from the major's quote against the US dollar and the minor's quote against the US dollar. Spreads on consumer products tend to be wider than for purely major pairs, especially outside the home market of the smaller currency.
Saudi Riyal is associated with Middle East and US Dollar with North America, so each currency typically reacts to a different set of releases. SAR/USD therefore tends to move when something specific happens in either home market: an interest-rate decision, an inflation print, a trade-balance number, or a political event that changes the perceived risk of holding that currency.
The number shown in the rate box is a daily reference rate: roughly the mid-market price at the time the public rate feed was published. It is a useful benchmark, but it is not the rate you would obtain at a bank, a card terminal, an ATM, or a money-transfer provider. Those providers add a margin to the mid-market rate (the "spread") and may charge a fixed or percentage fee on top. To estimate what a real transaction would actually cost, take the displayed reference rate and apply the provider's published spread and fee.
The 7-day and 30-day tables show one observation per day. They are useful for sanity-checking an unusual reading on the live rate against very recent values and for spotting any obvious trend over the last month. The 12-month chart on this page is built from monthly samples and is intended to show the general direction of SAR/USD over a year rather than every short-term swing. For an intraday view of the same pair, the embedded chart further up the page draws on a finer-grained data source.
Like any exchange rate, SAR/USD reflects the relative attractiveness of holding Saudi Riyal versus US Dollar. The most common drivers are:
Suppose the rate above is R. To convert an amount of Saudi Riyal, multiply by R: amount in USD = amount in SAR × R. To go the other direction, divide instead: amount in SAR = amount in USD ÷ R. The converter at the top of the page does this automatically and updates either input as you type. For an estimate of what a real bank or transfer service would deliver, subtract a typical retail spread (often a few tenths of a percent for major pairs and noticeably more for minor or exotic pairs) and any flat fee from the result.
If you arrived here looking for the inverse direction, the USD to SAR page shows the same data presented the other way around. The guide on how exchange rates are quoted explains why the inverse rate is simply 1 ÷ R. To understand the gap between the figure on this page and what a bank actually offers, see the comparison of mid-market rates and consumer rates.
Related Gulf-currency pages include AED to USD, QAR to USD and SAR to INR.
The reference rate in the box above gives the current figure. The Saudi riyal has been pegged to the US dollar since 1986 at a central rate of 3.75 riyals per dollar, which puts one riyal a little under 27 US cents. Because of the peg, the SAR/USD figure barely moves from month to month — unlike a floating pair.
The Saudi Central Bank maintains the peg by standing ready to buy and sell dollars at the official rate, backed by large foreign-currency reserves. Small deviations appear in the market rate because banks quote around the peg with their own spreads, but the reference rate stays close to the central figure. The 30-day table on this page usually shows a nearly flat line, and that is expected rather than a data error.
No. Even with a fixed official rate, exchange houses, banks and card networks price their own margin around it, so a retail SAR-to-USD quote will sit some distance from 3.75. A stable peg removes exchange-rate risk; it does not remove the spread. See the mid-market vs bank rates guide.
Divide by the SAR/USD rate, or use the second table above, which converts US dollars into riyals directly. The USD to SAR page shows the same pair with the dollar as the base currency.