Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Mexico City $3,333

Dhahran is about 16% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Dhahran sits 2% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$10.75 MX$199

-50.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$50.3 MX$929

-22.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$11.10 MX$205

-42.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$3.68 MX$68.1

8.97%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$1.65 MX$30.42

-55.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$1.30 MX$24.08

-85.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.77 MX$32.68

-6.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$3.05 MX$56.4

-68.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$2.01 MX$37.20

-1.99%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.77 MX$51.1

39.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$11.91 MX$220

-27.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$9.33 MX$172

17.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$15.02 MX$278

-7.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$3.08 MX$56.8

-30.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.95 MX$35.97

-28.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$2.03 MX$37.54

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$2.21 MX$40.92

-18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$2.02 MX$37.41

-25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.82 MX$33.67

-47.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.52 MX$28.07

29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$1.28 MX$23.65

-33.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$5.27 MX$97.4

5.69%

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)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.31 MX$5.82

167.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.00 MX$36.93

-32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$0.53 MX$9.86

513.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$5.62 MX$104

69.40%

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)

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

153.05%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-17.84%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$62.5 MX$1,155

-5.57%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$28.77 MX$532

46.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$34.45 MX$637

88.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$57.1 MX$1,055

241.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$24.81 MX$458

276.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$6.67 MX$123

58.32%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$431 MX$7,964

-84.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

12.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$70.8 MX$1,308

-28.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$51.8 MX$958

-19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$109 MX$2,011

-29.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$112 MX$2,076

-19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-65.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$665 MX$12.3K

-31.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$975 MX$18.0K

185.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.3

-60.18%

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

Last update for Dhahran: 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

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 46.8% $212

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 39.6% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 67.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Mexico City

$126 8% 24.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 32.4% $38

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 79.3% $90

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 23.1% $4.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Dhahran 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.

Salaries run about 186% higher in Dhahran, 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 $39.00 in Dhahran versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $323 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

9 h behind Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

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

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Between locations

Dhahran Mexico City 13,940 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

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

Mexico City costs about 19% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Dhahran 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 Dhahran, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Dhahran and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhahran costs $1,317 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Dhahran. 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.