Why are there so few independent AI video cost benchmarks for the region?

The format is young and most studios price by project. Nearly every published number comes from a seller, and none we found states a survey method for Saudi Arabia or Egypt.

Why does this page link to sources instead of printing their figures?

Their figures change, and each one carries its own assumptions about VAT, rights and what is included. Reading them at the source keeps those assumptions attached.

Why are Egypt and the Gulf priced separately?

Costs, currencies and budgets differ between the two markets. One shared figure would be wrong for both.

How often are these benchmarks checked?

We recheck the sources and the ranges when the market moves or a source changes, and the date at the top of this page shows the last review.

AI Video Cost Benchmarks: Saudi Arabia, Gulf, Egypt

Before you trust any number for AI video, ask where it came from. We searched in English and Arabic for published AI video cost benchmarks covering Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Egypt. We found no independent price survey for any of the three markets. Almost every figure comes from a company that sells video, and that includes ours. So this page does two things. It lists the published sources, graded by how much weight each can carry. Then it shows how our own planning ranges were built, so you can check one against the other.

How we graded each AI video cost benchmark

Every source got one of three grades.

A. The seller's own published figures, with a date.
B. A dated guide or estimate from a seller, with no stated method.
C. Undated, secondhand, a tiny sample, or read only through a search summary because the page would not open.

A grade says how far a figure can be trusted, not whether the seller is good. Follow each link and read the figures in the seller's own words, with their own assumptions. Sellers update their pages, so check the date before you rely on one.

Benchmarks for AI video in the Gulf

The Gulf has the most published AI video pricing in the region, mostly from Dubai.

Source	What it publishes	Grade
SL Media, Dubai	Working project bands for simple, hybrid and premium AI films	A
CEMA, Dubai	An entry figure for a short AI ad with script, voice, four formats and rights included	A
Impulse Digital, Dubai	AI and conventional ranges side by side for social, explainer and brand films	B, written to sell AI
Ogun Studios	A per finished minute range, with a split of where the money goes	C
LTX	Per minute cost of generation only	B, a cost floor, not a price

Two points stand out. First, the most useful sources say what is included, such as script, voice, formats and usage rights. Without that, two numbers are not comparable. Second, per minute figures for AI often count generation alone. One studio puts generation at about 10 to 30% of the cost and people at about 50 to 70%. Direction, editing, voice and review are where most of a professional budget goes.

Benchmarks for conventional production in Saudi Arabia

Saudi companies publish ranges for filmed work, and they are the right comparison when you are deciding between AI and a crew.

Source	What it publishes	Grade
Filmology	An average range for corporate video	B
Black Swan Media	Ranges for brand stories, social ads, training and commercials, with a Riyadh talent premium of 10 to 15%	C, undated
Fast Production Company	Ranges for reels, interviews, brand films and TV commercials, stated with VAT included	C, read through a search summary

The finding that matters: for simple work, published Saudi crew figures overlap AI ranges at the low end. AI does not always cost less. The gap opens on cinematic scale, places you cannot film and many language versions. We explain that trade in AI video vs traditional production.

Watch VAT as well. Some Saudi figures include the 15% VAT and some do not, so two numbers can look like different markets while being the same.

Benchmarks for Egypt

This is the weakest part of the map. We found no published production prices from an Egyptian studio in either language. What exists is freelance hourly rates on Upwork and Clutch, and one drama example in Enterprise. All three are grade C, and none describes a finished advertising film. Any Egypt figure you see, including ours, rests on judgement. Date it, and ask what currency each line is really paid in. Our guide to video production cost in Egypt covers that.

How our planning ranges were built

Our budget calculator does not copy any one benchmark. Our ranges follow one model, and every factor in it is shown.

A setup amount and a rate per second that falls as a film gets longer. Published examples put a 30-second film at about two thirds of a 60-second one, and our curve follows that shape.
Multipliers for direction and pace. A cinematic or hero film costs more per second than a clean, designed one.
Priced elements. A shoot, motion graphics, 3D, voice, lip-sync, extra languages and original music each add their own line.
Versions and deadline. Extra films, cut-downs and a rush deadline come last.
A range, never a single number. Every result is a low to high band, before VAT.

Prices for Egypt and for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf are set separately, because costs, currencies and budgets differ between the two. We checked our ranges against the benchmarks above and against our own production costs, and the partners confirmed them in November 2026.

Here is where some common briefs sit.

A 30-second social ad, designed brand world, library music: SAR 2,500 to 4,000 (USD 600 to 1,000) Calculator estimate, before VAT
A 30-second AI commercial, AI voice, library music: SAR 5,500 to 9,000 (USD 1,500 to 2,400) Calculator estimate, before VAT
A 60-second explainer with motion graphics and three charts: SAR 8,000 to 13,000 (USD 2,100 to 3,500) Calculator estimate, before VAT
A 60-second cinematic brand film with a half-day shoot: SAR 14,500 to 23,500 (USD 3,900 to 6,300) Calculator estimate, before VAT
The same brand film, billed in Egypt: EGP 75,000 to 125,000 Calculator estimate, before VAT