Average Material Controller Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2026
A material controller in Saudi Arabia earns about 117,660 SAR a year. That's 41% below the national average of 200,000 SAR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Saudi Arabia sit around 62,420 SAR a year, while the very top stretches to 175,900 SAR. Everything on this page is in Saudi riyal (SAR, symbol ر.س), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Saudi Arabia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a material controller make in Saudi Arabia?
A typical material controller working in Saudi Arabia brings home around 9,805 SAR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 62,420 SAR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 175,900 SAR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior material controller working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How material controller pay ranges in Saudi Arabia
A good way to think about salary in Saudi Arabia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all material controllers in Saudi Arabia earn less than 107,900 SAR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 76,280 SAR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 136,200 SAR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of material controllers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 62,420 SAR. The highest stretch to 175,900 SAR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Material controller pay by experience in Saudi Arabia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a material controller in Saudi Arabia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical material controller salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years72,360 SAR
- 2-5 Years+22% from previous88,260 SAR
- 5-10 Years+42% from previous125,100 SAR
- 10-15 Years+14% from previous142,300 SAR
- 15-20 Years+12% from previous159,100 SAR
- 20+ Years+5% from previous167,100 SAR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a material controller typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Material controller pay by education in Saudi Arabia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving material controller pay in Saudi Arabia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average material controller salary in Saudi Arabia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School88,260 SAR
- Certificate or Diploma+40% from previous123,400 SAR
- Bachelor's Degree+40% from previous172,400 SAR
Material controller gender pay gap in Saudi Arabia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Male material controllers in Saudi Arabia earn an average of 123,400 SAR a year, while female material controllers earn around 106,960 SAR. That works out to a 15% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Material Controller gender pay gap
13%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Saudi Arabia.
Pay raises for a material controller in Saudi Arabia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of about 11% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Saudi Arabia, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Saudi Arabia:
- Banking2%
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel1%
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Material controller bonus rates in Saudi Arabia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
50% of material controllers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a material controller a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 50% of material controllers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Saudi Arabia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Material controller: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Saudi Arabia is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
7%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Saudi Arabia on average.
Material controller salary by city in Saudi Arabia
Material controller pay is not even across Saudi Arabia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Jeddah
- Mecca
- Riyadh
- Medina
- Abha
- Dammam
- Khubar
- Tabuk
- Taif
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeddah | City | 128,900 SAR | 142,300 SAR | 59,660-208,600 SAR |
| Mecca | City | 125,700 SAR | 115,740 SAR | 68,900-192,600 SAR |
| Riyadh | City | 123,400 SAR | 128,500 SAR | 57,320-194,600 SAR |
| Medina | City | 123,400 SAR | 115,380 SAR | 66,820-187,500 SAR |
| Abha | City | 119,500 SAR | 123,400 SAR | 57,320-185,100 SAR |
| Dammam | City | 118,380 SAR | 112,600 SAR | 60,840-181,600 SAR |
| Khubar | City | 116,180 SAR | 127,700 SAR | 52,820-185,100 SAR |
| Tabuk | City | 113,700 SAR | 116,380 SAR | 54,560-180,300 SAR |
| Taif | City | 111,240 SAR | 106,360 SAR | 54,500-167,100 SAR |
Material Controller in Saudi Arabia: FAQs
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How much does a material controller make per month in Saudi Arabia?
A material controller in Saudi Arabia earns about 9,805 SAR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 117,660 SAR.
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What's the salary range for a material controller in Saudi Arabia?
Entry-level material controllers in Saudi Arabia start near 62,420 SAR. Top-end pay reaches around 175,900 SAR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 76,280 and 136,200 SAR.
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Is the median material controller salary in Saudi Arabia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 107,900 SAR, lower than the average of 117,660 SAR. Half of material controllers in Saudi Arabia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for material controllers in Saudi Arabia?
Men working as a material controller in Saudi Arabia earn around 15% more than women on average (123,400 vs 106,960 SAR a year).
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Do material controllers in Saudi Arabia get bonuses?
About 50% of material controllers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.
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Do material controllers earn more in the public or private sector in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, the public sector pays a material controller about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do material controllers in Saudi Arabia get a pay raise?
A material controller in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.