Score methodology

How Maskan scores areas

Every score you see is calculated from live data collected and maintained by the Maskan platform intelligence engine. No editorial guesses. No sponsorships. Refreshed every night at midnight.

Data freshness

Scores are recalculated every night at 00:00 AST (Arabia Standard Time) by refreshing Maskan's area intelligence for each district. The "Last refreshed" date on every property and area page shows exactly when the data was last updated.

Refreshed nightly 16 districts covered

What the numbers mean

93
Excellent
85100
Premium district, top-tier services
80
Strong
7584
Well-served area, strong fundamentals
70
Good
6574
Solid neighbourhood, may lack some premium facilities
57
Below average
5064
Fewer nearby services or longer commute
25
Limited data
049
New development or limited platform coverage

Score breakdown

Area Score
Overall neighbourhood quality

A composite of the four individual scores below, weighted to reflect what renters value most in a Saudi neighbourhood.

Data sources
Maskan area intelligence: schools, hospitals, restaurants, gyms, mosques, malls, parks
Composition / weights
  • 30%School quality & availability
  • 25%Healthcare access
  • 25%Commute to city centre
  • 20%Amenities & lifestyle
School Score
Education access for families

Measures how many quality schools are within a short drive, and whether the area has international / bilingual options — critical for expat and mixed families.

Search radius: 3 km radius

Data sources
Maskan platform data: schools
Keyword detection for: International, American, British, French, German, Pakistani, Indian
Composition / weights
  • 75%Average community rating of nearby schools (rescaled from 3–5 → 45–95)
  • 18%Number of schools within 3 km (up to +18 pts)
  • 10%Presence of international / bilingual schools (bonus up to +10 pts)
Healthcare Score
Medical access & quality

Reflects how well-served the area is for health emergencies and routine care — number of hospitals and clinics nearby, their ratings, and whether major specialty centres are present.

Search radius: 3 km radius

Data sources
Maskan platform data: hospitals & clinics
Keyword detection for: Specialist, Medical Center, King, National, Saudi German
Composition / weights
  • 75%Average community rating of nearby hospitals/clinics (rescaled)
  • 15%Number of hospitals/clinics within 3 km (up to +15 pts)
  • 15%Specialty / named hospital bonus (King Fahad, Saudi German, etc.)
Traffic Score
Commute ease to city centre

Measures estimated peak-hour driving time from the district centre to the main business hub (KAFD / Olaya for Riyadh, Al Corniche for Jeddah, Al Khobar road for Dammam). Riyadh-tuned thresholds acknowledge the city's car-centric layout.

Search radius: Point-to-point to city centre

Data sources
Maskan commute intelligence (peak-hour estimates, updated nightly)
Score by commute time
  • 95≤ 15 min
  • 88≤ 20 min
  • 78≤ 30 min
  • 65≤ 40 min
  • 50≤ 50 min
  • 35≤ 60 min
  • 20> 60 min
Family Score
How well the area suits families

A family-specific composite that weighs schools and healthcare more heavily than commute, and counts parks and green spaces as a meaningful factor alongside malls and restaurants.

Data sources
Derived from the four individual scores above
Composition / weights
  • 35%School Score
  • 30%Healthcare Score
  • 20%Lifestyle score (amenities + parks)
  • 15%Traffic Score

Lifestyle score — what's included

The lifestyle score feeds into both Area Score (20%) and Family Score (20%). It is built from five place categories tracked by Maskan's area intelligence, each capped to prevent a single factor from dominating. Mosque count is intentionally capped low — mosques are present in every Riyadh block, so count is not a differentiator.

Restaurants
max 22 pts
2 km, up to 22 pts
Gyms
max 15 pts
2 km, up to 15 pts
Mosques
max 8 pts
1.5 km, capped low — present everywhere in Riyadh
Shopping Malls
max 25 pts
5 km, up to 25 pts
Parks & Green Spaces
max 15 pts
3 km, up to 15 pts

Rent Calculator — how we calculate

Every number the calculator produces is derived from these rules, applied to the listing's annual rent.

Payment frequency
Divides the listing's annual rent by the number of payments per year.
AnnualAnnual rent ÷ 1Full year paid in one cheque — most common in KSA
Semi-annualAnnual rent ÷ 2Two cheques, 6 months apart
QuarterlyAnnual rent ÷ 4Four cheques, once per quarter
MonthlyAnnual rent ÷ 12Twelve equal payments — less common, requires landlord approval
First-year cost estimate
Three components added to show the real upfront cash required in year one.
Annual rent= listing price
The displayed annual rent. No markup or adjustment.
Security depositAnnual rent ÷ 12
Equivalent to 1 month's rent. Standard practice across Saudi Arabia — held by landlord, returned at lease end (less any deductions).
Agency / broker feeAnnual rent × 2.5%
The standard brokerage commission in KSA (2.5% of annual rent), paid to the real-estate agent who arranged the lease. Not all landlords charge this; it is shown as an estimate.
VAT0%
Residential rentals in Saudi Arabia are VAT-exempt under ZATCA regulations. The calculator does not add VAT.
Affordability check
Based on the widely used 30% rule: housing costs should not exceed 30% of gross monthly income. Maskan refines this into three bands.
% of income = (annual rent ÷ 12) ÷ monthly salary × 100
≤ 25%
Comfortably affordable
Rent is well within the 30% guideline. Significant budget remains for savings and other expenses.
25% – 33%
Borderline
Slightly above the recommended 30% but within the upper limit used by many financial advisors and banks in KSA when assessing loan eligibility.
> 33%
Above budget
Rent exceeds one-third of income. This is the threshold above which most Saudi banks will not approve personal finance for housing costs.

The calculator uses your gross monthly salary (before deductions). Actual affordability depends on your full financial picture — other debts, dependants, and savings goals.

Known limitations

  • Gated compounds & diplomatic enclaves places like Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) have limited publicly listed places because most facilities are private and inside the walls. Scores may understate the actual quality of living.
  • New developments recently built districts may have fewer listed places until businesses are added to the platform. Scores will improve automatically as coverage grows.
  • Rating data community ratings reflect public reviews and may not capture the full quality of a facility. We rescale ratings from the typical [3.0–5.0] cluster to a [45–95] range to avoid compressing all areas into a narrow band.
  • Commute time calculated at the time the nightly refresh runs (midnight). Rush-hour times may differ. Estimates are based on typical peak-hour conditions for each district.