Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Ad Dammam and in Playa del Carmen: $1,180 and $1,215 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,180

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ad Dammam and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ad Dammam and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,180 in Ad Dammam versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Ad Dammam $1,180
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,809 in Ad Dammam versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Ad Dammam $1,809
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,437 in Ad Dammam versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Ad Dammam $2,437
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Ad Dammam costs roughly 3% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.04 SAR 26.45

$10.97 MX$201

-35.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.90 SAR 131

$44.85 MX$823

-22.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 SAR 25.12

$11.92 MX$219

-43.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

Cappuccino

$3.08 SAR 11.55

$3.80 MX$69.9

-18.95%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 SAR 2.86

$1.31 MX$24.08

-41.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 SAR 0.60

$0.86 MX$15.72

-81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$1.46 MX$26.77

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 5.01

$2.33 MX$42.72

-42.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 SAR 7.36

$1.44 MX$26.48

36.11%

Eggs

$2.17 SAR 8.16

$2.46 MX$45.20

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 SAR 27.38

$7.70 MX$141

-5.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.10 SAR 30.40

$7.89 MX$145

2.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 SAR 47.73

$12.80 MX$235

-0.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 SAR 8.30

$2.92 MX$53.6

-24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.42 MX$26.11

17.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 5.99

$2.57 MX$47.10

-37.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.10

$2.14 MX$39.24

-23.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.24

$1.95 MX$35.75

-42.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 SAR 4.54

$1.94 MX$35.55

-37.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.15 MX$21.13

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.17

$1.22 MX$22.42

-52.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.04 SAR 15.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.71 SAR 28.97

$4.38 MX$80.3

76.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 SAR 3.64

$0.52 MX$9.64

86.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 SAR 133

$27.42 MX$503

29.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 SAR 10.16

$4.91 MX$90.2

-44.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 SAR 10.27

$3.52 MX$64.7

-22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.52 SAR 50.8

$5.69 MX$104

137.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.54 MX$28.27

-59.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$67.2K SAR 252.4K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

216.48%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-12.94%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$131 SAR 494

$83.6 MX$1,535

57.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.52 SAR 122

$24.03 MX$441

35.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 SAR 240

$29.33 MX$539

117.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.6 SAR 284

$64.9 MX$1,191

16.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 SAR 105

$29.46 MX$541

-4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 SAR 51.0

$5.09 MX$93.4

166.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$421 SAR 1,582

$208 MX$3,813

102.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

94.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 SAR 160

$44.55 MX$818

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.83 SAR 187

$42.06 MX$772

18.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 SAR 359

$75.5 MX$1,387

26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 SAR 346

$91.4 MX$1,678

0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,188

$986 MX$18.1K

-40.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 SAR 1,390

$385 MX$7,072

-3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 SAR 3,767

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-41.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 SAR 2,543

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,395 SAR 5,238

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-65.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$609 SAR 2,287

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-90.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,507 SAR 5,659

$758 MX$13.9K

98.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$370 30.8%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$228 19%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 39.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$202 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 28.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$126 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 74.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$103 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 27% $28

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$56 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 6.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $583 in Ad Dammam and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ad Dammam vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $260 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

8 h behind Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

149,923

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ad Dammam Playa del Carmen 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ad Dammam vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Ad Dammam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $583 in Ad Dammam versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,180 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 30% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,180 in Ad Dammam versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ad Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ad Dammam delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,180 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ad Dammam hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ad Dammam and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.