Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,395 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
58

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

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Jeddah vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jeddah $1,395
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,167 per month in Jeddah vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jeddah $2,167
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Jeddah vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jeddah $2,940
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Jeddah costs about 16% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Jeddah sits 2% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.10

$10.92 MX$204

-43.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 SAR 299

$43.37 MX$808

83.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 SAR 36.03

$11.78 MX$220

-18.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

Cappuccino

$3.78 SAR 14.18

$3.81 MX$71.0

-0.79%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$1.28 MX$23.90

-16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.78 MX$14.59

-66.67%

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)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.41 MX$26.22

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$2.22 MX$41.33

-40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$1.42 MX$26.42

59.15%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.32

$2.52 MX$47.03

-1.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 SAR 24.47

$7.26 MX$135

-10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 SAR 30.09

$7.70 MX$143

4.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 SAR 48.70

$12.69 MX$237

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.88

$2.78 MX$51.9

-24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$1.37 MX$25.50

21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.80

$2.55 MX$47.55

-39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$2.12 MX$39.58

-21.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$1.94 MX$36.13

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.89 MX$35.16

-32.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 SAR 4.17

$1.15 MX$21.37

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$1.18 MX$21.98

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.72

$4.30 MX$80.1

53.26%

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)

$0.89 SAR 3.34

$0.55 MX$10.31

61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 SAR 207

$26.62 MX$496

106.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 SAR 11.79

$4.97 MX$92.6

-36.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$3.33 MX$62.1

-47.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.78 SAR 51.7

$5.36 MX$99.8

157.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.44 MX$26.92

-55.56%

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

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

88.14%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-7.68%

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

$91.3 SAR 342

$84.8 MX$1,581

7.63%

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

$38.64 SAR 145

$23.41 MX$436

65.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$28.66 MX$534

133.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 SAR 261

$57.1 MX$1,063

22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.79 SAR 146

$28.91 MX$539

34.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 SAR 44.58

$5.14 MX$95.8

131.13%

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

$786 SAR 2,951

$207 MX$3,851

280.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

322.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$43.35 MX$808

71.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$41.44 MX$772

35.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 378

$74.2 MX$1,383

35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 SAR 359

$89.3 MX$1,664

7.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,048

$980 MX$18.3K

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 SAR 2,093

$381 MX$7,099

46.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 SAR 4,933

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 SAR 3,237

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-19.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 SAR 6,335

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-57.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 SAR 4,094

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-82.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,691 SAR 6,346

$735 MX$13.7K

130.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.45

-52.93%

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

Last update for Jeddah: 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

Jeddah

$558 40%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 31.7% $177

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$200 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$147 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.1% $35

Eating Out

Jeddah

$129 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 57.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 27.9% $26

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 28.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Jeddah versus $980 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 in Jeddah are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Jeddah versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Jeddah vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

8 h behind Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Playa del Carmen 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,395 in Jeddah, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Jeddah and $1,806 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 Jeddah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Jeddah and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,395 in Jeddah and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,395 in Jeddah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.