Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Mexico City, Mexico
Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,226
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

  • Dammam $1,226
  • Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,857 in Dammam versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

  • Dammam $1,857
  • Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,488 in Dammam versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

  • Dammam $2,488
  • Mexico City $3,490

Living in Dammam costs roughly 24% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dammam is 10% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.49 SAR 24.35
$10.62 MX$198
-38.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.23 SAR 147
$48.35 MX$901
-18.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.78 SAR 29.21
$10.35 MX$193
-24.83%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.83 SAR 6.87
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 SAR 6.68
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.71 SAR 13.94
$3.69 MX$68.8
0.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 SAR 3.02
$1.67 MX$31.07
-51.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 SAR 1.04
$1.27 MX$23.59
-77.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.19 MX$59.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.31 MX$98.9
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 SAR 6.45
$1.72 MX$32.15
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
$3.04 MX$56.7
-65.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 SAR 8.71
$1.94 MX$36.19
19.59%
Eggs
$2.54 SAR 9.52
$2.89 MX$53.8
-12.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.79 SAR 25.48
$10.97 MX$205
-38.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.34 SAR 27.55
$9.25 MX$172
-20.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.93 SAR 48.52
$15.13 MX$282
-14.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.36 SAR 8.85
$3.05 MX$56.8
-22.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 SAR 6.01
$1.94 MX$36.19
-17.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 SAR 6.10
$2.03 MX$37.75
-20.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.63 SAR 6.11
$2.31 MX$43.15
-29.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 SAR 4.67
$2.04 MX$37.94
-38.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 SAR 4.94
$1.80 MX$33.55
-26.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 SAR 5.07
$1.48 MX$27.58
-8.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 SAR 2.22
$1.27 MX$23.63
-53.54%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.84 SAR 10.65
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 SAR 6.51
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 SAR 7.62
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.26 SAR 27.23
$5.30 MX$98.9
36.98%
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
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 SAR 3.90
$0.31 MX$5.69
235.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.52 SAR 152
$19.73 MX$368
105.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.62 SAR 9.83
$1.84 MX$34.25
42.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 SAR 7.10
$0.53 MX$9.94
256.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.55 SAR 50.8
$5.30 MX$98.7
155.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 SAR 2.42
$1.51 MX$28.16
-56.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K SAR 101.8K
$21.8K MX$405.5K
24.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K SAR 87.7K
$24.0K MX$447.1K
-2.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 SAR 395
$63.0 MX$1,174
67.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.70 SAR 126
$27.39 MX$511
23.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.2 SAR 271
$35.67 MX$665
102.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.5 SAR 354
$58.9 MX$1,099
60.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.96 SAR 139
$23.64 MX$441
56.35%
Cinema Ticket
$14.61 SAR 54.8
$6.40 MX$119
128.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$346 SAR 1,299
$432 MX$8,045
-19.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,665 SAR 28.8K
$11.4K MX$212.9K
-32.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 SAR 210
$68.2 MX$1,272
-17.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.8 SAR 236
$53.1 MX$990
18.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.0 SAR 315
$108 MX$2,009
-22.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 SAR 305
$117 MX$2,186
-30.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 SAR 1,652
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-60.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 SAR 1,441
$710 MX$13.2K
-45.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$889 SAR 3,337
$2,588 MX$48.2K
-65.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$627 SAR 2,352
$1,406 MX$26.2K
-55.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,788 SAR 6,708
$3,631 MX$67.7K
-50.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,073 SAR 4,025
$2,135 MX$39.8K
-49.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dammam
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$946 MX$17.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.42
11.35
-61.06%

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

Last update for Dammam: 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
Dammam
$384
Mexico City
$710 85% $326
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dammam
$211
Mexico City
$126 40.3% $85
Groceries & Markets
Dammam
$198
Mexico City
$320 61.5% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Dammam
$128
Mexico City
$156 21.9% $28
Eating Out
Dammam
$124
Mexico City
$199 59.9% $74
Sport & Entertainment
Dammam
$124
Mexico City
$72 42% $52
Getting Around
Dammam
$57
Mexico City
$25 55.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Dammam and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Dammam vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $320 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Dammam
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
01:08 1:08 AM
16:08 4:08 PM
9 h behind Dammam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
903,312
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
  • Dammam Mexico City 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dammam
  • 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
Dammam vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dammam cheaper than Mexico City?
Dammam is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,839 in Dammam and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Dammam and Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Dammam versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dammam and in Mexico City?
All in, you’ll spend $1,226 per month in Dammam versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Dammam is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 51% less than in Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Dammam or in Mexico City?
At $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dammam but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Dammam or Mexico City more family-friendly?
For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Dammam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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