Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,351 a month against $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Mazatlan despite lower rent and utilities.

Mazatlan, Mexico
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Mazatlan
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,392
/mo nomad
Medina
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,351
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mazatlan and in Medina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mazatlan and in Medina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,392 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,351 in Medina, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $1,392
  • Medina $1,351

A couple spends around $2,002 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,806 in Medina, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $2,002
  • Medina $1,806

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,261 in Medina, rent included.

  • Mazatlan $2,612
  • Medina $2,261

Mazatlan costs about 3% more than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.56 MX$197
$5.63 SAR 21.13
87.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.04 MX$839
$31.66 SAR 119
42.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.26 MX$154
$7.98 SAR 29.92
3.51%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.58 SAR 5.92
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.76 SAR 6.59
-
Cappuccino
$3.34 MX$62.3
$2.61 SAR 9.77
27.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 MX$26.34
$0.78 SAR 2.94
80.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.89
$0.23 SAR 0.86
365.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.98 MX$36.89
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 MX$48.93
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 MX$29.99
$1.49 SAR 5.61
8.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.49 MX$46.46
$0.97 SAR 3.66
156.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.34 MX$25.04
$2.30 SAR 8.61
-41.74%
Eggs
$2.65 MX$49.43
$2.12 SAR 7.95
25.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.85 MX$146
$5.38 SAR 20.20
45.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.78 MX$126
$7.26 SAR 27.24
-6.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.75 MX$144
$12.83 SAR 48.14
-39.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$49.60
$2.46 SAR 9.24
8.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 MX$29.50
$1.93 SAR 7.25
-18.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 MX$29.72
$2.34 SAR 8.78
-31.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.46 MX$8.57
$1.55 SAR 5.80
-70.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 MX$30.61
$1.41 SAR 5.30
16.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 MX$24.28
$1.32 SAR 4.96
-1.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.59
$0.90 SAR 3.38
64.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.69 SAR 2.60
-
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.36 SAR 5.11
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.48 SAR 5.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.64 SAR 6.17
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.94 MX$73.5
$7.36 SAR 27.61
-46.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.55 MX$290
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 MX$38.28
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 MX$58.3
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 MX$13.53
$1.05 SAR 3.93
-30.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.65 MX$739
$37.74 SAR 142
5.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 MX$64.5
$1.31 SAR 4.90
164.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.43
$1.65 SAR 6.21
44.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.71 SAR 21.42
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$27.26
$0.63 SAR 2.38
131.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K MX$393.5K
$42.7K SAR 160.3K
-50.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.2K
$20.9K SAR 78.2K
14.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.5 MX$1,071
$148 SAR 555
-61.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.40 MX$846
$27.56 SAR 103
64.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.54 MX$774
$89.2 SAR 334
-53.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.74 MX$796
$77.9 SAR 292
-45.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.84 SAR 33.18
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.44 MX$82.7
$13.17 SAR 49.40
-66.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$87.0 MX$1,621
$293 SAR 1,100
-70.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,967 MX$36.6K
$5,518 SAR 20.7K
-64.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 MX$1,150
$37.11 SAR 139
66.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.92 MX$502
$52.8 SAR 198
-49.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,032
$65.9 SAR 247
65.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.9 MX$1,526
$68.1 SAR 255
20.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 MX$14.9K
$550 SAR 2,064
45.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$607 MX$11.3K
$533 SAR 1,999
14.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,247 MX$23.2K
$779 SAR 2,921
60.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$826 MX$15.4K
$581 SAR 2,179
42.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,520 MX$28.3K
$2,256 SAR 8,463
-32.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,028 MX$19.1K
$1,362 SAR 5,110
-24.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mazatlan
Medina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$520 MX$9,697
$1,257 SAR 4,716
-58.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
4.17
178.18%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
$607
Medina
$533 12.3% $75
Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
$230 *
Medina
$193 16.1% $37
Eating Out
Mazatlan
$174
Medina
$104 40.2% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
$144
Medina
$265 83.2% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
$126
Medina
$101 19.9% $25
Getting Around
Mazatlan
$58
Medina
$52 11.1% $6.4
Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
$52
Medina
$104 102% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Mazatlan versus $550 in Medina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medina are about 2.4 times higher, 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 $45 in Mazatlan versus $32 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $193 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mazatlan
🇸🇦 Medina
🕒 Local time
21:02 9:02 PM
07:02 7:02 AM
10 h ahead of Mazatlan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
441,975
1,100,093
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mazatlan Medina 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mazatlan
  • Medina

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
Mazatlan vs Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mazatlan and in Medina compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,392 in Mazatlan, $1,351 in Medina – Medina comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Mazatlan compared to Medina?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,088 per month in Mazatlan and $2,027 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mazatlan and Medina?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $802 in Mazatlan.
How do commuting costs compare in Mazatlan and in Medina?
Public transport costs about 5% less in Medina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mazatlan and Medina?
Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Mazatlan and $293 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,392 in Mazatlan and $1,351 in Medina. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Mazatlan and Medina?
It depends on your priorities. Mazatlan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,351 in Medina to $1,392 in Mazatlan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Where should expats move: Mazatlan or Medina?
For expats, Medina is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 3% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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