Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in AL Kharj 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 AL Kharj and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $961 per month in AL Kharj vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

AL Kharj $961
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in AL Kharj vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

AL Kharj $1,464
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in AL Kharj vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

AL Kharj $1,966
Playa del Carmen $2,959

AL Kharj is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both AL Kharj and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – AL Kharj 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 SAR 17.99

$10.92 MX$205

-56.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.43 SAR 99.2

$43.37 MX$815

-39.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.56

$11.78 MX$221

-30.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

Cappuccino

$3.06 SAR 11.49

$3.81 MX$71.6

-19.69%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.21

$1.28 MX$24.10

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 SAR 0.44

$0.78 MX$14.71

-84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.58

$1.41 MX$26.43

5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$2.22 MX$41.66

-87.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.17

$1.42 MX$26.64

71.83%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.95

$2.52 MX$47.41

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 SAR 38.96

$7.26 MX$137

42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 SAR 18.59

$7.70 MX$145

-35.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 SAR 49.13

$12.69 MX$239

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.43

$2.78 MX$52.3

-38.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.15

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.60

$2.55 MX$47.94

-51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.18

$2.12 MX$39.90

-34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$1.94 MX$36.43

-45.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.89 MX$35.44

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 SAR 2.05

$1.15 MX$21.55

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$1.18 MX$22.16

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.45 SAR 24.21

$4.30 MX$80.7

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 SAR 86.6

$26.62 MX$500

-13.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$4.97 MX$93.4

-46.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 SAR 1.90

$3.33 MX$62.6

-84.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.22 SAR 49.60

$5.36 MX$101

146.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.44 MX$27.14

-57.64%

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

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

28.95%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-4.22%

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

$107 SAR 400

$84.8 MX$1,594

25.76%

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

$26.42 SAR 99.2

$23.41 MX$440

12.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 SAR 190

$28.66 MX$539

76.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 SAR 272

$57.1 MX$1,072

26.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 SAR 153

$28.91 MX$543

40.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 SAR 50.3

$5.14 MX$96.6

160.89%

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

$289 SAR 1,084

$207 MX$3,882

39.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-2.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 SAR 216

$43.35 MX$815

32.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 SAR 197

$41.44 MX$779

26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.60 SAR 175

$74.2 MX$1,394

-37.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 SAR 296

$89.3 MX$1,677

-11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 SAR 2,597

$980 MX$18.4K

-29.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 SAR 1,002

$381 MX$7,157

-29.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 SAR 2,214

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-65.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 SAR 1,729

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-57.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

$735 MX$13.8K

280.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

11.45

-51.62%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

AL Kharj

$267 27.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

AL Kharj

$184 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

AL Kharj

$174 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 46.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

AL Kharj

$106 11%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.5% $5.8

Eating Out

AL Kharj

$103 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 95.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

AL Kharj

$99 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.1% $32

Getting Around

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 78.6% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in AL Kharj versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in AL Kharj are about 3.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in AL Kharj versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $255 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

8 h behind AL Kharj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,300

149,923

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

AL Kharj Playa del Carmen 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

AL Kharj
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

AL Kharj vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in AL Kharj, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – AL Kharj comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in AL Kharj and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $289 per month in AL Kharj and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in AL Kharj to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.