Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,171 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Arar, Saudi Arabia
Mexico City, Mexico
Arar
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,171
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arar 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 Arar and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,171 per month in Arar vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Arar $1,171
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Arar vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Arar $1,750
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,329 per month in Arar vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Arar $2,329
  • Mexico City $3,490

Arar is about 27% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arar sits 14% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.97 SAR 22.40
$10.62 MX$198
-43.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.64 SAR 141
$48.35 MX$901
-22.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.75 SAR 29.09
$10.35 MX$193
-25.12%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 SAR 7.03
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 SAR 8.41
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.17 SAR 11.91
$3.69 MX$68.8
-14.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 SAR 3.32
$1.67 MX$31.07
-46.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 SAR 0.98
$1.27 MX$23.59
-79.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.19 MX$59.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.31 MX$98.9
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 SAR 6.47
$1.72 MX$32.15
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 SAR 4.87
$3.04 MX$56.7
-57.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 SAR 8.46
$1.94 MX$36.19
15.98%
Eggs
$2.30 SAR 8.64
$2.89 MX$53.8
-20.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.64 SAR 28.68
$10.97 MX$205
-30.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.06 SAR 30.25
$9.25 MX$172
-12.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.82 SAR 48.09
$15.13 MX$282
-15.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.13 SAR 8.00
$3.05 MX$56.8
-30.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 SAR 6.38
$1.94 MX$36.19
-12.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 SAR 5.95
$2.03 MX$37.75
-22.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.87
$2.31 MX$43.15
-32.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 SAR 4.46
$2.04 MX$37.94
-41.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 SAR 4.73
$1.80 MX$33.55
-30.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 SAR 4.72
$1.48 MX$27.58
-14.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 SAR 2.11
$1.27 MX$23.63
-55.91%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.00 SAR 11.26
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 SAR 6.49
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 SAR 7.54
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.51 SAR 24.42
$5.30 MX$98.9
22.83%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$16.10 MX$300
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.98 MX$36.97
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.25 MX$79.3
-
🚌 Getting Around
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.08 SAR 4.07
$0.31 MX$5.69
248.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.77 SAR 138
$19.73 MX$368
86.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.69 SAR 10.08
$1.84 MX$34.25
46.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 SAR 7.07
$0.53 MX$9.94
254.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.05 SAR 48.99
$5.30 MX$98.7
146.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.63 SAR 2.37
$1.51 MX$28.16
-58.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K SAR 107.5K
$21.8K MX$405.5K
31.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K SAR 81.1K
$24.0K MX$447.1K
-9.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 SAR 392
$63.0 MX$1,174
65.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.87 SAR 123
$27.39 MX$511
20.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.2 SAR 249
$35.67 MX$665
85.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$81.0 SAR 304
$58.9 MX$1,099
37.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.64 MX$441
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.40 SAR 50.3
$6.40 MX$119
109.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$412 SAR 1,546
$432 MX$8,045
-4.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,834 SAR 29.4K
$11.4K MX$212.9K
-31.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.18 SAR 158
$68.2 MX$1,272
-38.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.2 SAR 203
$53.1 MX$990
2.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.9 SAR 367
$108 MX$2,009
-9.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.5 SAR 325
$117 MX$2,186
-26.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$565 SAR 2,119
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-49.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 SAR 1,365
$710 MX$13.2K
-48.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 SAR 3,100
$2,588 MX$48.2K
-68.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$574 SAR 2,156
$1,406 MX$26.2K
-59.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,325 SAR 8,724
$3,631 MX$67.7K
-35.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,354 SAR 5,082
$2,135 MX$39.8K
-36.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arar
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$946 MX$17.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
11.35
-51.19%

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

Last update for Arar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Arar
$364
Mexico City
$710 95.3% $347
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arar
$204
Mexico City
$126 38.1% $77
Groceries & Markets
Arar
$203
Mexico City
$320 57.4% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Arar
$126
Mexico City
$156 23.4% $30
Eating Out
Arar
$114
Mexico City
$199 74.7% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Arar
$108
Mexico City
$72 33.4% $36
Getting Around
Arar
$53
Mexico City
$25 52.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Arar versus $1,113 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 $38 in Arar versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $320 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Arar
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
20:45 8:45 PM
11:45 11:45 AM
9 h behind Arar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
167,057
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Arar Mexico City 12,980 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Arar
  • 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
Arar vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Arar and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,171 in Arar, $1,608 in Mexico City – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Arar compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,757 per month in Arar and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Arar and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
How do commuting costs compare in Arar and in Mexico City?
Public transport costs about 46% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Arar and Mexico City?
Kindergarten costs $412 per month in Arar and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Arar compared to Mexico City?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,171 in Arar and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Arar or Mexico City?
Families tend to lean toward Arar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Arar vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?