Cybersecurity engineer · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Security engineer salary in Riyadh — typical band and what it buys
Senior security engineer covering application security, infrastructure security, or detection / response.
Data signals
What the numbers say
The pay band
A security engineer in Riyadh typically earns around 375,000 SAR (mid-market), with most offers between 290,625 SAR and 487,500 SAR.
What it nets and supports
After local tax the mid-market figure nets about 28,125 SAR/month — enough to support a premium lifestyle in Riyadh.
Versus the New York benchmark
Pay for this role in Riyadh runs about 50% of the New York rate before adjusting for cost of living.
Estimated band
Security engineer gross salary in Riyadh
Local-currency band derived from a $100,000 NYC P50 anchor × 0.50 city multiplier × 3.7500 SAR/USD.
What SAR 375,000 gross buys you in Riyadh
Net after Saudi Arabia's effective payroll deduction, mapped to Mundevo's lifestyle tiers.
Required monthly net at each tier in Riyadh
Where the P50 salary lands across Mundevo's four lifestyle tiers.
| Tier | Required net / month | Your P50 net covers it? |
|---|---|---|
| PremiumBest fit | SAR 18,194 | Yes |
| Comfortable | SAR 14,028 | Yes |
| Balanced | SAR 11,111 | Yes |
| Frugal | SAR 8,194 | Yes |
Who this band describes
Senior security engineers in this band have 5-8 years of experience in offensive (red-team / pentesting), defensive (SOC / detection / response), or product-security (appsec / cloud security) tracks. Specialization matters: cloud-security and appsec command premiums at SaaS companies; detection / response runs higher at financial services.
Pay sits modestly above general-purpose senior SWE bands due to specialization scarcity. Highest at fintech, defense-adjacent tech, and large public tech companies; mid-band at enterprise SaaS and cybersecurity consultancies.
Common employer types at this band: Fintech, Big tech, Cybersecurity vendors, Defense contractors, Enterprise SaaS.
Cross-check before negotiation
Mundevo's band is derived, not surveyed. For an offer conversation, anchor on at least one of these.
- Levels.fyi — security roles at public tech companies
- ISC2 / SANS annual cybersecurity workforce surveys
- Glassdoor — broader cybersecurity coverage
FAQ
- What is a good security engineer salary in Riyadh?
- The typical security engineer band in Riyadh runs 290,625 SAR–487,500 SAR gross per year, with a median around 375,000 SAR. At or above the median is a strong offer — the P50 here supports a premium lifestyle on our cost model.
- How much does a security engineer take home after tax in Riyadh?
- On the median 375,000 SAR gross, take-home is about 28,125 SAR per month (337,500 SAR/year) after Saudi Arabia's effective income tax and social security.
- Is 375,000 SAR a good security engineer salary in Riyadh?
- Yes — it's the local median and covers a premium lifestyle for a single person, with about 55% headroom over that tier's cost.