Average Perl Developer Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2026
A perl developer in Saudi Arabia earns about 164,200 SAR a year. That's 18% 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 86,520 SAR a year, while the very top stretches to 252,300 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 perl developer make in Saudi Arabia?
A typical perl developer working in Saudi Arabia brings home around 13,683 SAR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 86,520 SAR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 252,300 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 perl developer 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 perl developer 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 perl developers in Saudi Arabia earn less than 159,100 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 108,340 SAR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 197,600 SAR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of perl developers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 86,520 SAR. The highest stretch to 252,300 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.
Perl developer pay by experience in Saudi Arabia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a perl developer 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 perl developer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years95,980 SAR
- 2-5 Years+34% from previous128,900 SAR
- 5-10 Years+34% from previous172,200 SAR
- 10-15 Years+21% from previous207,800 SAR
- 15-20 Years+8% from previous225,300 SAR
- 20+ Years+6% from previous239,000 SAR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a perl developer 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.
Perl developer pay by education in Saudi Arabia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving perl developer 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 perl developer salary in Saudi Arabia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma115,640 SAR
- Bachelor's Degree+53% from previous176,800 SAR
- Master's Degree+42% from previous251,500 SAR
Perl developer 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 perl developers in Saudi Arabia earn an average of 174,000 SAR a year, while female perl developers earn around 159,100 SAR. That works out to a 9% 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.
Perl Developer gender pay gap
9%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Saudi Arabia.
Pay raises for a perl developer 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 10% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 7% 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
Perl developer 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.
52% of perl developers in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a perl developer 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 48% of perl developers 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
Perl developer: 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.
Perl developer salary by city in Saudi Arabia
Perl developer pay is not even across Saudi Arabia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Riyadh
- Jeddah
- Mecca
- Medina
- Taif
- Khubar
- Abha
- Dammam
- Tabuk
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | City | 172,400 SAR | 168,100 SAR | 89,120-265,000 SAR |
| Jeddah | City | 167,100 SAR | 181,600 SAR | 78,500-267,100 SAR |
| Mecca | City | 161,600 SAR | 168,100 SAR | 80,340-254,700 SAR |
| Medina | City | 159,100 SAR | 152,000 SAR | 80,640-240,500 SAR |
| Taif | City | 159,100 SAR | 159,500 SAR | 79,120-246,500 SAR |
| Khubar | City | 157,600 SAR | 167,100 SAR | 71,660-247,800 SAR |
| Abha | City | 157,600 SAR | 159,400 SAR | 78,160-243,000 SAR |
| Dammam | City | 152,300 SAR | 164,200 SAR | 72,180-245,300 SAR |
| Tabuk | City | 152,100 SAR | 161,600 SAR | 68,320-239,300 SAR |
Perl Developer in Saudi Arabia: FAQs
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How much does a perl developer make per month in Saudi Arabia?
A perl developer in Saudi Arabia earns about 13,683 SAR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 164,200 SAR.
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What's the salary range for a perl developer in Saudi Arabia?
Entry-level perl developers in Saudi Arabia start near 86,520 SAR. Top-end pay reaches around 252,300 SAR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 108,340 and 197,600 SAR.
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Is the median perl developer salary in Saudi Arabia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 159,100 SAR, lower than the average of 164,200 SAR. Half of perl developers in Saudi Arabia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for perl developers in Saudi Arabia?
Men working as a perl developer in Saudi Arabia earn around 9% more than women on average (174,000 vs 159,100 SAR a year).
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Do perl developers in Saudi Arabia get bonuses?
About 52% of perl developers 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 perl developers earn more in the public or private sector in Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, the public sector pays a perl developer 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 perl developers in Saudi Arabia get a pay raise?
A perl developer in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of around 10% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.