Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-Ula and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al-Ula and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,184
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Al-Ula vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,757
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Al-Ula vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Al-Ula $2,330
Mexico City $3,333

Al-Ula is about 24% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al-Ula sits 12% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$10.75 MX$199

-43.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$50.3 MX$929

-26.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$11.10 MX$205

-28.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$3.68 MX$68.1

-13.86%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.65 MX$30.42

-47.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$1.30 MX$24.08

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$1.77 MX$32.68

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$3.05 MX$56.4

-58.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.01 MX$37.20

14.43%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$2.77 MX$51.1

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$11.91 MX$220

-37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$9.33 MX$172

-13.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$15.02 MX$278

-15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$3.08 MX$56.8

-26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.95 MX$35.97

-9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.03 MX$37.54

-22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$2.21 MX$40.92

-28.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$2.02 MX$37.41

-39.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.82 MX$33.67

-29.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.52 MX$28.07

-19.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$1.28 MX$23.65

-57.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$5.27 MX$97.4

27.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.31 MX$5.82

251.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$19.85 MX$367

85.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$2.00 MX$36.93

30.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$0.53 MX$9.86

249.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$5.62 MX$104

133.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.52 MX$28.07

-57.24%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

109.33%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-15.40%

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

$106 SAR 397

$62.5 MX$1,155

69.50%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$28.77 MX$532

15.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$34.45 MX$637

91.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$57.1 MX$1,055

44.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$6.67 MX$123

99.85%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$431 MX$7,964

-1.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-30.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$70.8 MX$1,308

-39.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$51.8 MX$958

6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$109 MX$2,011

-11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$112 MX$2,076

-21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-45.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$665 MX$12.3K

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-53.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-34.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-30.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

11.3

-50.97%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$372 31.5%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 78.6% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 38.7% $79

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 59.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 21.9% $28

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 76.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 35.4% $39

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 51.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $576 in Al-Ula versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Al-Ula versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $323 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

9 h behind Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-Ula Mexico City 13,120 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-Ula
Mexico City

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-Ula vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Al-Ula and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $425 per month in Al-Ula and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Al-Ula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,184 in Al-Ula to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-Ula. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.