Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha'il and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,073 in Ha’il versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Ha'il $1,073
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,623 in Ha’il versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ha'il $1,623
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Ha’il versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Ha'il $2,174
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Ha’il costs roughly 11% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ha’il 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 SAR 20.28

$10.67 MX$200

-49.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.86 SAR 138

$43.80 MX$823

-15.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 SAR 22.17

$11.79 MX$221

-49.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 SAR 4.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.77

$3.79 MX$71.1

-31.40%

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

$0.61 SAR 2.30

$1.30 MX$24.36

-53.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.83 MX$15.65

-72.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$1.41 MX$26.46

19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 SAR 3.21

$2.20 MX$41.23

-60.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.05

$1.47 MX$27.66

27.89%

Eggs

$1.93 SAR 7.26

$2.50 MX$46.89

-22.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.68 SAR 25.08

$7.29 MX$137

-8.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 SAR 33.31

$7.95 MX$149

11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.15 SAR 30.58

$12.86 MX$242

-36.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.59

$2.90 MX$54.4

-48.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 SAR 5.70

$1.38 MX$25.98

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.77

$2.49 MX$46.78

-49.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.28

$2.03 MX$38.12

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$2.02 MX$38.03

-36.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.90 MX$35.74

-15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.14 MX$21.49

7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 SAR 1.79

$1.24 MX$23.27

-61.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 SAR 25.42

$4.27 MX$80.2

58.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.43

$0.51 MX$9.67

78.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.03 SAR 135

$27.39 MX$514

31.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 SAR 10.04

$4.76 MX$89.4

-43.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$3.25 MX$61.0

-45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.27 SAR 49.82

$5.39 MX$101

146.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.53 MX$28.70

-58.17%

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

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

46.28%

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

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

-6.32%

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

$52.8 SAR 198

$83.5 MX$1,568

-36.71%

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

$21.29 SAR 79.9

$23.19 MX$435

-8.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.84 SAR 172

$27.61 MX$519

66.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.0 SAR 248

$56.4 MX$1,060

16.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.26 SAR 98.6

$28.19 MX$529

-6.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 SAR 55.1

$5.00 MX$93.9

193.40%

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

$419 SAR 1,571

$207 MX$3,889

102.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

131.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.92 SAR 161

$43.45 MX$816

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 SAR 208

$42.54 MX$799

30.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 SAR 367

$72.8 MX$1,367

34.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 SAR 313

$88.4 MX$1,660

-5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 SAR 904

$995 MX$18.7K

-75.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 SAR 1,525

$382 MX$7,181

6.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$1,674 MX$31.4K

-78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 SAR 2,321

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-42.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,982 SAR 7,437

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-49.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 SAR 4,507

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-80.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,081 SAR 4,056

$832 MX$15.6K

29.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

11.45

-51.62%

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

Last update for Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha'il

$406 37.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 5.9% $24

Groceries & Markets

Ha'il

$179 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 44.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Ha'il

$126 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 11.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha'il

$120 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 11.9% $14

Eating Out

Ha'il

$96 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 110% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Ha'il

$95 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 30.3% $29

Getting Around

Ha'il

$51 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Ha’il and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ha’il pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Ha’il vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $257 per month, with Ha’il cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

07:53 7:53 AM

8 h behind Ha'il

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,897

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 = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ha'il Playa del Carmen 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ha'il
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

Ha'il vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Ha’il, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $241 in Ha’il versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $419 in Ha’il versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.