Al-hawiyah, Saudi Arabia

Living costs in this Saudi suburb have surged alongside its rapid expansion from a modest Ta'if satellite to a sprawling 80-square-kilometer urban zone. With 200,000 residents as of 2010, Al Hawiyah has morphed into a strategic military and educational hub, anchored by King Fahad Air Base and Ta'if University.

The town's transformation is evident in its extensive royal infrastructure, including multiple royal palaces now repurposed for institutional use, and premium facilities like the InterContinental hotel and King Fahd Sport City. Located just 15 kilometers from Ta'if and 214 kilometers from the Al-Waba Crater, Al Hawiyah has evolved beyond its bedroom community roots into a self-contained urban center with 15 distinct residential neighborhoods catering to diverse socioeconomic segments of Saudi society.