Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
59

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

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Dhahran costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dhahran and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Dhahran 2% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$10.76 MX$199

-50.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$43.03 MX$795

-8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$11.79 MX$218

-46.14%

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

$3.87 MX$71.4

3.62%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$1.37 MX$25.29

-45.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.84 MX$15.44

-77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.44 MX$26.55

14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$2.23 MX$41.23

-56.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.47 MX$27.17

34.01%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.53 MX$46.71

52.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$7.30 MX$135

17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$7.86 MX$145

38.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$12.79 MX$236

8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.90 MX$53.6

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.44 MX$26.53

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$2.55 MX$47.07

-30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$2.06 MX$38.03

-12.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$2.00 MX$36.97

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$2.01 MX$37.07

-52.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.19 MX$22.02

65.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$1.26 MX$23.23

-32.54%

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

$4.40 MX$81.4

26.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.57 MX$10.47

45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$4.98 MX$92.1

-72.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$3.50 MX$64.6

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$5.40 MX$99.8

76.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.47 MX$27.08

-55.78%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

153.61%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-13.47%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$84.2 MX$1,556

-29.93%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$23.99 MX$443

75.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$29.02 MX$536

123.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$63.0 MX$1,164

209.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$29.14 MX$539

220.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$4.94 MX$91.3

113.77%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$204 MX$3,763

-67.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

236.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$43.60 MX$806

15.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$43.12 MX$797

-3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$75.8 MX$1,400

1.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$88.6 MX$1,637

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-64.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$374 MX$6,911

21.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$754 MX$13.9K

269.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.45

-60.70%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 17.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 66.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 17.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 3.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 78.6% $89

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 151% $32

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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 269% higher in Dhahran, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Dhahran versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $258 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

19:16 7:16 PM

8 h behind Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

149,923

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Playa del Carmen 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

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

Dhahran costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Dhahran at $1,317. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dhahran it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,317 in Dhahran. 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dhahran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.