- What it measures
- The headline project value in the Foundation's own 2025 brochure, which The National also used in November 2025. We lead with it because it is the owner's current published figure; its scope is not itemised, so it is not a construction budget and should not be set against the figures below.
- Date
- Nov 2025
Why figures differ
What does King Salman Park cost?
Is it $23bn, SAR72bn, $10bn, $25bn or $9bn?
Explained
Updated 12 Nov 2026
The figures, side by side
What each source says
- What it measures
- The 2019 launch figure covers King Salman Park, Sports Boulevard, Green Riyadh and Riyadh Art together. It is not the cost of the park alone.
- Date
- Mar 2019
- What it measures
- ArchDaily's estimated cost of King Salman Park itself, February 2026. The dollar conversion is ours at the usual 3.75 peg.
- Date
- Feb 2026
- Source
- ArchDailyFeb 2026
- What it measures
- The 'project value' field on Parsons' own project page. Its scope is not explained.
- Source
- Parsons
- What it measures
- A valuation by Knight Frank in July 2024 as reported by AGBI; a value at a date, not a budget.
- Date
- Jul 2024
- Source
- AGBINov 2025
- What it measures
- An earlier Knight Frank figure for the development, with $8.8bn of contracts awarded and about 47% complete at that time, per our research notes. We have not seen the original 2023 report, so we hold it at low confidence.
- Date
- Jan 2023
- Source
- AGBINov 2025
- What it measures
- A secondary-source split carried by Wikipedia and Illustrarch, which reuses the 2019 four-project figure. Shown for completeness; low confidence.
- Source
- IllustrarchFeb 2026
- What it measures
- The part the Foundation is building itself: parks, infrastructure and cultural shells, as reported by MEED on 30 September 2026. MEED's 28 September headline attached the same SAR50bn ($13.3bn) to private assets; the 30 September text is more detailed, so we follow it.
- Date
- Sep 2026
- Source
- MEEDSep 2026MEEDSep 2026
Why the figures differ
These figures answer different questions. The $23bn (SAR86bn) from March 2019 covers four Riyadh projects together: King Salman Park, Sports Boulevard, Green Riyadh and Riyadh Art. ArchDaily's SAR72bn is an estimate for the park alone. Parsons lists a $10bn project value without explaining its scope, the Foundation's 2025 brochure carries a $25bn headline value, and Knight Frank's $9bn and $9.4bn are valuations at 2023 and July 2024 rather than budgets. MEED's September 2026 split puts the public realm at about SAR50bn, with a further SAR150bn of private assets planned. Averaging any of these would mean nothing.
What we show
We lead with the Foundation's own $25bn headline, flagged as unitemised, and show every other figure with its scope and date. The public realm (about SAR50bn) and the private plan (about SAR150bn) have their own entries.
What would resolve it
An itemised budget from the Foundation that states what the headline value includes (public realm, private assets, land, operations) and in which year's prices.
Sources
King Salman Park Founda…Jan 2025King Salman Park Founda…Mar 2019ParsonsMEEDSep 2026ArchDailyFeb 2026The NationalNov 2025AGBINov 2025More figures explained
How big is King Salman Park?
Why do sources give the park's area as anything from 16.6 to 17.2 km²?
How much private money is involved?
Is private investment SAR50bn, SAR150bn or $13bn, and how much is awarded?
How many investment packages are there?
Five committed, or one awarded?
How tall is the Museum of World Cultures?
Is the museum building 106 m or 110 m?
How many seats does the National Theatre have?
Is it 2,300 or 2,500?
How much water does the park treat?
Is it 192,000, 150,000 or 50,000 m³ a day?