Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Dammam and in Playa del Carmen: $1,226 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index
58

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

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Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dammam $1,226
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,857 in Dammam versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dammam $1,857
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,488 in Dammam versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Dammam $2,488
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Dammam and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dammam 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.49 SAR 24.35

$10.92 MX$204

-40.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.23 SAR 147

$43.37 MX$808

-9.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.21

$11.78 MX$220

-33.96%

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

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.62%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.02

$1.28 MX$23.90

-36.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.04

$0.78 MX$14.59

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.41 MX$26.22

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$2.22 MX$41.33

-53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$1.42 MX$26.42

63.38%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.52

$2.52 MX$47.03

0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 SAR 25.48

$7.26 MX$135

-6.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 SAR 27.55

$7.70 MX$143

-4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 SAR 48.52

$12.69 MX$237

1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$2.78 MX$51.9

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.37 MX$25.50

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$2.55 MX$47.55

-36.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$2.12 MX$39.58

-23.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.67

$1.94 MX$36.13

-35.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

$1.89 MX$35.16

-30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$1.15 MX$21.37

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$1.18 MX$21.98

-50.00%

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

$4.30 MX$80.1

68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$0.55 MX$10.31

89.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.52 SAR 152

$26.62 MX$496

52.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$4.97 MX$92.6

-47.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

$3.33 MX$62.1

-43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.55 SAR 50.8

$5.36 MX$99.8

152.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.44 MX$26.92

-54.86%

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

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

31.32%

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

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-0.35%

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

$105 SAR 395

$84.8 MX$1,581

24.19%

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

$33.70 SAR 126

$23.41 MX$436

43.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 SAR 271

$28.66 MX$534

151.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 SAR 354

$57.1 MX$1,063

65.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 SAR 139

$28.91 MX$539

27.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 SAR 54.8

$5.14 MX$95.8

184.24%

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

$346 SAR 1,299

$207 MX$3,851

67.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

95.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 SAR 210

$43.35 MX$808

29.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 SAR 236

$41.44 MX$772

51.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 SAR 315

$74.2 MX$1,383

13.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 SAR 305

$89.3 MX$1,664

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 SAR 1,652

$980 MX$18.3K

-55.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 SAR 1,441

$381 MX$7,099

0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 SAR 3,337

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,352

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-41.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 SAR 6,708

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-54.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 SAR 4,025

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-82.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

11.45

-61.40%

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

Last update for Dammam: 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

Dammam

$384 31.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 0.8% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dammam

$211 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35.2% $74

Groceries & Markets

Dammam

$198 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Dammam

$128 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.7% $16

Eating Out

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 62.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 45.6% $56

Getting Around

Dammam

$57 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Dammam and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Dammam vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $255 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dammam

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

17:14 5:14 PM

8 h behind 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 = 0.239 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

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

You’d need roughly $1,839 in Dammam and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Dammam versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $346 in Dammam versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dammam – a meal for two runs $39 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.